Flat White vs Cappuccino Wet or Dry: Which Foam Fits?

A flat white uses a small cup, little milk, and a thin, dense foam so the coffee flavor stays concentrated; it began in Melbourne and spread through Europe, America, and Australia in the 1980s. The drink is built on an espresso base, with foam thickness and the milk-to-coffee ratio as the deciding variables.

The cappuccino wet or dry question turns on the same foam variable: a wet cappuccino carries more steamed milk, a dry one more airy foam. A wet cappuccino and a flat white both lean toward milkier texture, while a dry cappuccino sits at the opposite end. The flat white can start from a double ristretto base or a standard shot.

Flat white coffee, with its small cup size and low milk volume, makes the coffee flavor more concentrated, and is favored by many coffee lovers. It originated in Melbourne, Australia, and began to gain popularity in Europe, America, and Australia in the 1980s. To make a delicious flat white, the key lies in the extraction method of the espresso base, the thickness control of the milk foam, and the ratio of milk to coffee. Starting from the beverage-making process at Front Street stores, this article introduces in detail the characteristics of flat white, its differences from latte and cappuccino, and the specific preparation steps. It also shares the flavor performance of Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Blend and Classic Italian Blend beans, helping you recreate a rich and smooth flat white at home.

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)

More and more people in China are drinking coffee. In order to attract young consumer groups, various styles of fancy coffee keep emerging. Even without adding extra ingredients, simply changing the amount of milk and the thickness of the milk foam can create a new coffee drink, such as the flat white coffee known as a "small latte."

Flat white coffee has a smaller cup size and a lower proportion of milk, so the flavor of the coffee itself is more distinct. This is also why it is loved by many coffee people. Some friends have asked Front Street, how should flat white coffee be made? How is it different from latte? What are its drinking characteristics? Below, Front Street will start with the characteristics of flat white coffee.

What are the characteristics of flat white?

Flat white coffee was born in Melbourne, Australia, and began to become popular in Europe, America, and Australia in the 1980s. Its original design concept was to let the drinker feel the complete combination of milk foam and the coffee-milk below in every sip. Only when the milk foam is dense enough and relatively thin, and the temperature of the milk coffee is moderate, can you taste milk foam in every sip, and you should finish it as soon as possible before the milk foam separates.

Based on these characteristics of flat white coffee, two different methods have been derived. One is to use double ristretto as the base, add steamed fresh milk, and present a rich taste. The other is to combine a single espresso with thin milk foam into a milk coffee. The specific method depends on the coffee beans used by the store and the flavor it wants to express. The flat white coffee served at Front Street stores uses its own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee," which has a fresh flavor and a soft mouthfeel, so the flat white coffee uses double ristretto as the base.

For friends who prefer a mellow coffee flavor, Front Street Classic Italian Blend Coffee is recommended. This is a recipe composed of three origins: Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It uses deep roasting, which maximizes the mellow aroma of the coffee and also makes it easy to extract rich and dense crema. It is suitable for both Americano diluted with water and latte paired with milk, and can be purchased at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

The differences between flat white, latte, and cappuccino

The "Flat" in flat white coffee means flat. The surface of a finished flat white coffee must be thin enough to be level with the rim of the cup, and the milk foam layer must not bulge upward. Among the three common hot milk coffees, cappuccino has the thickest milk foam, usually 1–2 cm, while the thinnest, flat white coffee, is generally 0.3–0.5 cm. Latte coffee's milk foam mostly forms a bulge of about 0.5–0.7 cm, while flat white coffee's milk foam can only be below 0.5 cm, otherwise it is difficult to achieve the "flat" surface effect.

As for the specific thickness of the milk foam, every coffee shop does it differently. Some baristas, in order to let customers taste the coffee crema on top to the greatest extent, do not steam the milk foam at all and directly pour heated milk into the espresso. Front Street hopes that customers will taste a dense and smooth flat white coffee, so it retains a 0.3 cm milk foam layer.

The ratio of milk to coffee directly affects the richness of the coffee. Usually, a balanced-tasting latte has a higher proportion of milk than flat white and cappuccino; while flat white coffee, which pursues a rich taste, adds a smaller proportion of milk to the espresso. The specific amount of milk depends on the cup size served by the store. For example, Front Street stores use 180 ml ceramic cups for flat white coffee and cappuccino. To make flat white, two ristrettos of 30 grams are used as the base, so 150 grams of hot milk needs to be added to present a richer and fuller coffee flavor.

Steps for making a cup of flat white coffee

Now that we understand the main characteristics of flat white coffee, below Front Street will make a cup of flat white coffee according to the store's beverage-making process.

First, wipe the portafilter basket dry with a clean towel, turn on the grinder and grind 20 grams of coffee powder into the basket, and tap it gently to level it. Use a distribution tool to level the coffee bed, then use a tamper to press it evenly into a firm puck.

Turn on the extraction switch to release water, wetting the group head while also washing away the coffee grounds stuck on it. Gently lock the portafilter onto the group head and start the extraction.

Pay attention to the weight and time of the extracted coffee liquid. When the electronic scale shows that 28–30 grams of coffee liquid has been extracted and the time is about 27–28 seconds, the extraction switch can be pulled down. Pour the two ristrettos into a preheated flat white cup.

Pour 150 ml of fresh milk into the milk pitcher. After steaming, the dense milk foam will be about 5 mm. Gently swirl the ristretto base in the cup and fully and evenly integrate the steamed hot milk.

The flavor performance of flat white coffee depends on the coffee beans used by each store. The espresso drinks served at Front Street stores use Front Street's own roasted "Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans." The extracted espresso presents whiskey aroma, vanilla, cream, and berry-like acidity. After blending with milk, the flat white coffee presents the taste of chocolate milk and whiskey-filled chocolate, with a smooth, fragrant, and mellow entry and a very long finish.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

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