How does Australian white coffee differ from a latte?

Australian white coffee, also called flat white, is the same drink as fù ruì bái, with only a naming difference. It originated in Australia or New Zealand and is defined by a more prominent espresso flavor, less milk than a latte, and very thin milk foam. In Australia it is usually served hot only, since ice dilutes its strength.

Preparation is not uniform: New Zealand baristas often pull a double ristretto as the base, while Australian baristas use a single espresso. Front Street Coffee compares cup volume, milk steaming temperature and milk foam thickness against a latte, and shares its in-store standards and blend recommendations for making flat white at home.

Flat white and fù ruì bái are actually different names for the same beverage. It originated in Australia or New Zealand and is characterized by a prominent espresso flavor, a smaller amount of milk, and extremely thin milk foam. This article focuses on the origin, naming, preparation parameters, and differences between flat white and latte: from the choice of espresso base to the milk steaming temperature, from cup volume to milk foam thickness, comparing them one by one. At the same time, Front Street Coffee shares the in-store standards for flat white and latte, and recommends classic blends and Strawberry Candy espresso blends suitable for making flat white, helping coffee enthusiasts make a cup of flat white that meets the flavor standard at home.

For friends who often pay attention to espresso coffee, the members of the espresso family are quite rich. Taking Front Street Coffee stores as an example, in addition to the familiar latte, mocha, and cappuccino, there are also flat white and dirty coffee that are not on the regular menu. The underlying logic of these drinks is espresso plus milk, and the main difference lies in the ratio between the two. Since latte and mocha have long been well known, what exactly is flat white? Is it the same thing as fù ruì bái? Literally understood, is it Australian-style white coffee? Below, Front Street Coffee will help everyone clarify these questions one by one.

What is flat white?

The fù ruì bái and Australian-style white coffee mentioned above actually refer to the same beverage; there is only a difference in naming, and there is no essential difference.

Flat white is a coffee beverage born in Australia, so it is also called Australian white coffee. However, some views hold that its place of origin is actually New Zealand. In addition to the controversy over its origin, the method of making flat white is also not uniform. Its core characteristics are a more prominent coffee flavor, less milk, and thinner milk foam. As for the espresso base, New Zealand baristas prefer to use a double ristretto, while Australian baristas are accustomed to using a single espresso.

In addition, according to Front Street, locally in Australia, flat white is usually only made hot. Once ice is added, the drink loses its soul, because ice dilutes the overall strength. From this perspective, making flat white iced is basically equivalent to a latte.

So how is flat white made?

Because different coffee shops use different models of espresso machines, the extraction parameters also need to be adjusted accordingly. Below, Front Street Coffee uses its own store's serving standards as an example to introduce how flat white is made.

The flavor direction of flat white mainly depends on which coffee beans are chosen. If you prefer a traditional style, you can choose Front Street Classic Blend or Front Street Commercial Blend. After extraction, they can present aromas of butter, nuts, spices, and dark chocolate. Their strong tone and rich crema are their hallmarks;

If you prefer a fresher, less bitter taste, Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso blend is recommended. This coffee is composed of single-origin coffees from three different regions and naturally carries rose aroma. Made as an americano, you can perceive the aromas of grapes and dried blueberries. When paired with milk to make a latte or flat white, it shows flavors of sweet orange and fruit candy.

The specific production process is as follows:

Front Street Coffee uses a commercial coffee machine when making espresso. The extraction parameters are as follows:

Pressure: 9 bar Temperature: 90.5~96°C Time: 20~30 sec Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2 Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso) Extracted espresso yield: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)

Recommended milk-to-coffee ratio for flat white

Milk: whole fresh milk (the Wei Ji fresh milk used by Front Street) Milk steaming temperature: 50-60°C (if the temperature is too low, the lactose in the milk cannot be activated; if the temperature is too high, the proteins will be damaged, producing a grainy texture) Milk foam thickness: 5mm (1cm milk foam is used to make latte, 1.5cm milk foam is used to make cappuccino) Espresso amount: 40ml Milk amount: 140ml

The above is Front Street Coffee's explanation of the flat white production process. However, according to Front Street Coffee's observations, many coffee enthusiasts, if they are not careful during operation, will make flat white into latte. So how exactly should flat white and latte be distinguished?

To distinguish flat white from latte, the key lies in the espresso ratio of the two. Because each store's flat white and latte recipes differ somewhat, here we take the latte produced by Front Street Coffee as an example:

Front Street Coffee's latte standard: use a 300ml ceramic coffee cup, with a 40g espresso base and 260ml milk plus milk foam. The milk foam thickness is about 1cm (steaming degree: steam milk from 5/10 full to 7/10 full milk foam).

Front Street Coffee's flat white standard: use a 220ml glass cup, with 30g espresso and 190ml milk plus milk foam. The milk foam thickness is about 0.5cm (steaming degree: steam milk from 5/10 full to 5.5-6/10 full milk foam).

Differences: In terms of cup volume, latte is larger than flat white; from the appearance, latte's milk foam is slightly thicker and has a slight dome on the surface, while flat white's milk foam is thinner and flat. In terms of flavor, latte has a stronger milky taste, while flat white has a more prominent coffee taste. So Australians often joke that latte is coffee-flavored milk (essentially milk), and flat white is milk-flavored coffee (essentially coffee).

From this, it can be seen that in distinguishing flat white from latte, milk foam thickness is an intuitive starting point. Therefore, when making latte and flat white at home, the key things to pay attention to are the milk foam thickness and the ratio of espresso to milk.

The above is the knowledge about flat white compiled by Front Street Coffee. We hope it can help coffee enthusiasts who want to learn about flat white, so that in the future they can also make a cup of flat white at home that satisfies them.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.