Why Is Australian White Coffee Richer Than a Latte?

Australian white coffee, known locally as Flat White, owes its stronger coffee taste to its base: a ristretto shot. Where a latte relies on a full espresso pulled long, a ristretto stops the extraction early, yielding a shorter, denser shot with less water and more concentrated flavor. The milk foam is steamed fine and thin rather than thick, so every sip carries both foam and the coffee-milk beneath.

The drink traces back to New Zealand and Australia. Before the 1970s, Australian cafes mainly brewed with French presses and manual drip. When Italians brought espresso machines in the early 1970s, that changed. The origin story says a barista accidentally served thin-foamed milk coffee, a customer praised it, and the level surface earned the name Flat White. Its caffeine content sits close to a standard latte, since both use a double shot base.

As soon as winter arrives, orders for hot milk coffee soar, with lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites being regular choices. Among them, flat white coffee has become a rising star in recent years, and many people first encounter it through menus at Starbucks or Luckin Coffee—where it's called Fu Rui Bai or Ao Rui Bai. This Flat White, originating from New Zealand and Australia, what makes it richer than a regular latte? The key lies in its base: Ristretto. This article will trace the origin story of flat white, break down the extraction logic of ristretto, and compare the differences in milk foam thickness and taste among flat white, latte, and cappuccino, while sharing Front Street Coffee's serving plan and flavor performance to help you find the cup that suits you best.

Whenever temperatures drop, sales of hot milk coffee at Front Street stores increase noticeably, including lattes, cappuccinos, and flat whites. Compared to the other two classics, flat white coffee is a "newcomer" that only gained popularity in recent years. Most people first hear about it through menus at chain brands like Starbucks and Luckin Coffee, where it is named Fu Rui Bai or Ao Rui Bai.

What kind of coffee is Ao Rui Bai exactly?

Ao Rui Bai originated in New Zealand and Australia, where locals call it Flat White. Before the 1970s, Australian cafes mainly used French presses and manual drip methods to make black coffee. It wasn't until the early 1970s, when Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, that a new wave of coffee culture was sparked.

Regarding the origin of flat white, there is a saying: a barista, while making hot milk coffee, accidentally made the milk foam too thin but still served it as usual, and the customer praised this thin-foam drink. Later, based on its characteristic of the liquid surface being level with the cup rim, it was named Flat White.

The original intention behind flat white's creation was to let the drinker experience the fusion of milk foam and the coffee-milk beneath in every sip. Only when the milk foam is sufficiently fine and thin, and the milk coffee temperature is slightly lower, can every sip contain foam, and it should be consumed quickly before the foam separates. So when making a flat white, first, you need to create extremely fine milk foam; second, the foam shouldn't be too thick, the milk temperature should be moderate, and the cup size should be smaller.

The base of Ao Rui Bai is ristretto

Front Street uses its own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend" for espresso-based drinks, composed of 70% Honduran Sherry coffee beans and 30% Yirgacheffe sun-dried Red Cherry coffee beans. The whiskey aroma, vanilla, and cream notes from Sherry, combined with the tropical fruit and fermented tones of Red Cherry, make the overall coffee taste rich and smooth. When making Fu Rui Bai, Front Street still adheres to the characteristics of small cup size, thin milk foam, and a double ristretto as the base.

Ristretto means "restricted" in Italian, and can be understood as a "shrunk version" of espresso, extracting only the front and middle segments of Espresso. Since most espresso-based drinks at the store use Espresso as the base, the baristas at FrontStreet Coffee first use a standard extraction of Espresso as a reference before business hours. Each coffee bean has a slightly different extraction plan; this plan is adjusted daily by the baristas before opening based on the Warm Sun Blend used in the store.

Front Street Espresso extraction plan: 20 grams of coffee powder extracted to 40 grams of coffee liquid, taking 28-30 seconds. For Ristretto, there's no need to change the grind size or dose; also using 20 grams of coffee powder, only 27 grams of coffee liquid is extracted, taking 20-25 seconds. Because Ristretto only takes the front and middle segments of espresso, it is more concentrated than Espresso, with a stronger taste but lower caffeine content. In terms of flavor, it presents a richer berry acidity, whiskey aroma, and caramel notes.

The extracted coffee liquid is poured into a pre-prepared cup of about 200ml, then 150ml of milk is taken into a milk pitcher to steam. When steaming milk, the air intake should be less than for a latte, the foam layer thinner and finer, and the temperature ideally controlled at 55-60 degrees Celsius for a more comfortable sip. Finally, the steamed milk is evenly integrated into the coffee liquid; latte art is optional. Front Street's Ao Rui Bai displays aromas of vanilla, cream, chocolate milk, whiskey-filled chocolate, along with the sweet and sour of berries. It is smooth and rich on the palate, with a lasting finish.

Which is better to drink, Ao Rui Bai or Cappuccino?

Friends who often drink milk coffee may notice that Ao Rui Bai, hot latte, and cappuccino—these three common drinks—are all just made from espresso and steamed hot milk, yet they create completely different tastes, textures, and appearances.

To distinguish flat white from other milk coffees, mainly look at the thickness of the milk foam. When a barista makes a cappuccino, they use one shot of espresso plus a thick layer of milk foam, usually presenting a 1-2cm thick "hamburger-style," and you have to take a big sip of foam before drinking the coffee liquid. Latte's milk foam is slightly thinner, about 0.5cm thick, allowing you to simultaneously taste the fusion of coffee liquid and milk foam in every sip.

To drink the coffee liquid more smoothly and highlight a smooth "velvet"-like texture, flat white's milk foam is the thinnest. Some baristas even filter out the foam layer, leaving only the coffee liquid, to avoid oils affecting the flavor. Therefore, how thin the milk foam should be was not fixed in the early days. As this drink became more popular, to distinguish it from regular hot lattes and cappuccinos, people roughly defined the thickness of flat white's thin milk foam as 0.3cm to 0.5cm.

Front Street believes that everyone has their own unique preference for coffee, so there's no saying which is better—just choose the type you like. If you want a balanced taste of coffee and milk, you can choose a hot latte; if you want to experience the full aroma of coffee beans, it's recommended to order an Ao Rui Bai; if you want both a strong coffee flavor and the texture of thick milk foam, cappuccino is perfect.

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