What Makes Australian White Coffee Different?

Australian white coffee, better known as the Flat White, is an espresso drink with milk and a thin layer of foam that originated in Australia and New Zealand. The core difference from a latte is size and ratio: Front Street pours a Flat White in a 220 ml glass with 30 g of espresso and about 0.5 cm of foam, while its latte uses a 300 ml cup with 40 g of espresso and roughly 1 cm of foam.

The latte versus flat white australia comparison comes down to milk texture and flavor direction. Less steamed milk and a thinner foam layer let the espresso stay prominent, so the Flat White reads stronger and less sweet than a latte. Shops set their own ratios, so cup size, espresso weight and foam thickness are the practical things to check when ordering or recreating one at home.

In coffee enthusiast circles, Flat White has always been a topic worth exploring in depth. It originated in Australia and New Zealand and is regarded as Oceania's localized evolution of the latte. Unlike the lattes and cappuccinos on Front Street Coffee's regular menu, the Flat White often exists as a hidden option. Starting from the English name of Flat White, this article will break down in detail its specific differences from the latte in cup volume, espresso ratio, milk foam thickness, and flavor direction, and will also include Front Street Coffee's complete Flat White recipe and steps. Whether you want to understand exactly how a Flat White differs from a latte, or want to recreate at home a cup of Flat White with thin milk foam and a prominent coffee flavor, you can find clear answers here.

Looking through Front Street Coffee's espresso menu, the only options you can directly see are four: Americano, latte, cappuccino, and mocha. However, regulars familiar with Front Street know that there is also a hidden drink you can order, and that is "Flat White," often translated into Chinese as 馥芮白 or 澳白咖啡. What makes this coffee so special that it has been placed on the hidden menu is worth understanding first by clarifying what it actually is.

What is a Flat White?

Simply put, a Flat White is a locally adapted Australian version of a "latte." Because of this, it differs slightly from the lattes commonly found on the market. The Flat White originated in Australia and New Zealand, and is a coffee category evolved by Oceanian residents according to their own taste preferences. Its composition is not complicated: espresso, milk, and a thin layer of milk foam covering the surface.

How do you distinguish a Flat White from a latte?

It should be noted that coffee shops do not have a unified standard for the ratio of Flat White to latte. Here, Front Street Coffee's actual output is used as a reference.

Front Street latte output standard: use a 300 ml ceramic coffee cup, take 40 g of espresso as the base, and milk plus milk foam totals 260 ml. The milk foam thickness is controlled at around 1 cm (steaming level: steam the milk from 5/10 full to 7/10 full).

Front Street Flat White output standard: use a 220 ml glass cup, use 30 g of espresso for the espresso portion, and milk plus milk foam totals 190 ml. The milk foam thickness is about 0.5 cm (steaming level: steam the milk from 5/10 full to 5.5 to 6/10 full).

The differences between the two can be seen from several dimensions. In terms of cup volume, a latte is clearly larger than a Flat White. In appearance, a latte's milk foam is thicker, and the surface bulges slightly; a Flat White's milk foam is thinner, and the overall appearance is flat. The flavor direction is also different: a latte is more dominated by milky sweetness, while a Flat White makes the coffee flavor more prominent. In Australia there is even a joking saying that a latte is coffee-flavored milk (essentially milk), while a Flat White is milk-flavored coffee (essentially coffee).

So how do you make a Flat White?

Next, I will share today's Front Street Coffee Flat White recipe.

The coffee beans used are Front Street Coffee's Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans, blended from 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Yirgacheffe sun-dried Red Cherry. This bean has a very obvious sherry wine note, outstanding sweetness, and is accompanied by vanilla cream flavors.

When making the base, Front Street chose espresso, using 20 g of coffee grounds to extract 30 g of espresso liquid within 20 seconds.

Next, steam the milk. As for the cup, Front Street Coffee uses a 220 ml crystal glass. The milk foam from steaming should be as little and as thin as possible. Pour the steamed milk into the espresso, and when it is integrated to 8/10 full, gently push out a pattern. Because Flat White's milk foam is relatively thin, latte art patterns easily distort and lose shape, so it is more recommended to make a simple heart shape or a single round dot, or you can simply skip patterned latte art altogether.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat Front Street Coffee, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

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