How Does a Flat White Differ From a Cappuccino or Latte?

A flat white is an Australian-style white coffee that appeared in Melbourne in the 1980s and spread through Australia and New Zealand. Its main difference from a cappuccino or latte is the milk foam: the flat white carries the thinnest layer of the three, and its espresso flavor comes through more strongly.

New Zealand cafés often build a flat white on a double ristretto, while Australian versions use a single espresso. Ristretto pulls less water through the same dose, giving a more concentrated shot. Because milk foam is thin, the drink feels less airy, and this also shapes whether a milk coffee reads as bitter or sweet.

Flat white has frequently appeared on café menus in recent years, becoming a favorite among many coffee enthusiasts. It originated in Melbourne, Australia, in the 1980s, then quickly spread across Australia and New Zealand, driving the local milk coffee trend. The biggest difference between a flat white and a latte or cappuccino lies in the milk foam thickness and coffee intensity. This article will start with the origin and naming of the flat white, analyze in detail the differences between Ristretto and regular espresso, and use Front Street Coffee's classic Italian blend beans to actually make a flat white, sharing parameters, flavor performance, and coffee bean selection advice to help everyone fully understand the unique charm of this Australian-style white coffee.

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As coffee becomes increasingly popular, more and more consumers are beginning to understand coffee. On one hand, industry giants still maintain a leading position; on the other hand, independent niche cafés are constantly emerging across China. On every café's espresso menu, there is always a lovely name that appears among our choices—flat white. Today, Front Street will talk about what flat white coffee is.

The Origin of Flat White

Flat white is an abbreviation; its full name is "Australian-style white coffee." It was born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1980, and soon became popular in both Australia and New Zealand, leading the milk coffee trend in both places at the time. In making flat white coffee, New Zealanders prefer to use a double ristretto, which makes the flat white taste more intense.

Australians, however, are accustomed to using a single espresso, which makes the flat white closer to a latte, with the difference lying in the thickness of the milk foam. The biggest difference between a flat white and a cappuccino or latte is the thickness of the milk foam; the flat white is the thinnest among the three. Secondly, the intensity of the flat white is also more prominent compared to a cappuccino and latte.

Why is flat white also called Fureibai coffee?

Fureibai is actually one of the translated names for "Flat white." When Starbucks makes its Fureibai coffee, it follows the New Zealand method, using a double ristretto. At present, Front Street has noticed that the way flat white is made in domestic niche cafés tends to lean more toward the Australian style. For this espresso extraction, we used our own roasted Front Street classic Italian blend coffee beans, composed of three coffees: Brazil Cerrado, Indonesia Mandheling, and Vietnam washed. The extracted espresso has a relatively rich and solid flavor, so when making flat white coffee, a double ristretto espresso is used.

What is the difference between ristretto and regular espresso?

Ristretto is a coffee with a shorter time and smaller liquid volume than espresso. The production process is basically the same as espresso, but ristretto is obtained by lowering the ratio and reducing the extraction time. For example, with 20 grams of coffee grounds, regular espresso extracts 40 grams of coffee liquid, while a ristretto extracts 30 grams of coffee liquid, with a time of about 23 to 25 seconds.

The first half of the espresso provides the main flavor of the coffee, while the second half has very little flavor and generally serves to adjust concentration and provide body. Generally speaking, the first substances extracted from coffee are small-molecule acids, then sweetness, and finally large-molecule bitterness, so the coffee liquid from the early stage of extraction often tastes very sour. Compared with a normal-ratio espresso, ristretto has fewer late-stage extraction compounds, so its bitterness is lower, and its body may also be lower, but because the ratio is reduced, its concentration is higher and the flavor compounds are more concentrated. What is the difference between flat white made with espresso and flat white made with ristretto?

Flat white coffee has less milk content than latte and cappuccino. In terms of the ratio of coffee to milk, it usually uses 1:1.6 to 1:1.7. The optimal steaming temperature for milk is 55-60 degrees.

Without further ado, Front Street will now make a flat white using a double ristretto. The parameters are: 20g coffee grounds extracting 30ml espresso liquid, with an extraction time of 25 seconds. The flavor performance of the espresso is: rich dark chocolate, caramel, cocoa aroma, and a roasted hazelnut-like finish. After 30ml of double espresso liquid is fully mixed with 145ml of hot milk, the flat white's flavor performance is cocoa cookies, dark chocolate milk, and an almond-like finish. By the second to third sip, the nutty sweetness becomes more obvious.

Since flat white mainly emphasizes preserving the crema of the espresso and the visual effect of layered gradation, when choosing coffee beans, you cannot use types with too light a roast level, as this will make it seem very thin. In order to let the espresso release rich golden crema and have a full-bodied taste, the four dark-roast coffees recommended are Front Street Classic Italian Blend, Front Street Specialty Blend, the espresso beans recommended by many baristas—Front Street Black Cocoa Blend, and Front Street Commercial Blend. In addition to a roasted aroma, the key point is that the crema is rich. Everyone can purchase them at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

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