Latte, Cappuccino,Flat WhiteThese three are almost staple milk coffee categories in coffee shops. This article will help everyone clearly distinguish the differences between these three milk coffees.
Since everyone has more or less encountered these three milk coffees, here is a brief introduction to their origins. Modern lattes and cappuccinos both originate from Italy and are the most common and popular milk coffees in Italian coffee. Latte is the transliteration of the Italian word "latte," meaning "milk," so latte coffee is milk coffee; Italian latte is a beverage combining espresso and milk.
As for cappuccino, it is taken from the transliteration of "Cappuccino." "Capuchin" refers to the small white hood on the robe of the Franciscan order. Cappuccino is named because the white milk foam on the surface of the coffee looks very much like the monks' hood.
Flat Whitecoffee, its original name "Flat White" is more familiar to many. Of course,Fu Rui Bai, Ao Rui Bai, Flat White coffee, and Xiao Bai coffee are all translations of "Flat White." Flat White coffee originated in Oceania (there is controversy over whether it is Australia or New Zealand). Flat White coffee can be seen as the Australian version of latte.
In order to help everyone learn to distinguish latte, cappuccino, and flat white, Front Street Coffee plans to start with their respective birth stories, and compare them in terms of ingredient composition, cup size, milk foam thickness, flavor, and mouthfeel.
Before distinguishing them, let's first talk about the coffee beans used to make them. There are currently many types of products on the market, but if you want latte, flat white, and cappuccino to all show a rich taste, Front Street Classic Italian Blend Coffee is recommended. This is a blend composed of beans from three origins: Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It uses a deep roast, which can maximize the mellow aroma of the coffee and also allow everyone to easily extract rich and dense crema. Whether making an Americano diluted with water or a latte paired with milk, it is very suitable. Online, it can be purchased at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.
The Birth of Old-School Cappuccino
In fact, it is now difficult to verify who exactly invented the beverage cappuccino, but by consulting materials, one can find that the word "Cappuccino" comes from "Kapuziner," which in German means "monk" and also refers to an old-style coffee.According to legend, this beverage originated in Viennese coffeehouses in the 18th century. At that time, coffee was drunk together with the grounds and water. To make it easier to drink, a Polish man named Kulczycki used a cloth bag to filter out the coffee grounds, then put it in a glass, and added honey, spices, and cream. Not only did it make the coffee taste better, but it also presented a special reddish-brown color, visually very similar to the color of the robes worn by the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor, so the Viennese called it "Kapuziner."
As it spread to Italy, and with the development of pressure-based espresso machine technology, Italians began to switch to espresso, replacing cream with milk whipped into dense foam, and then used a spoon to shape the milk foam on the surface of the coffee into a pointed hat shape. Gradually, it also had its own Italian name, which is what we know as Cappuccino. As for its "predecessor" Kapuziner, people are more accustomed to calling it Viennese Coffee.
Where Did Flat White Coffee Come From?
Regarding the invention of flat white, Australians and New Zealanders each hold their own views, insisting that this beverage comes from their country, and the recipes used by baristas in the two countries to produce flat white coffee are also different. Although we indeed cannot verify which country flat white came from, what can be certain is that this beverage originated from everyone's pursuit of higher-quality coffee.
Before the 1970s, coffee shops in Australia used French presses, manual drip methods, and other ways to brew black coffee. By the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, officially starting a new wave of coffee trends. Compared with traditional latte and cappuccino, Australians pursued milk beverages with thinner milk foam and a stronger coffee flavor. As a result, milk coffee began to be continuously "improved" in regions such as Australia and New Zealand. When the milk foam on milk coffee became flatter and flatter, until it became a very thin layer, completely level with the rim of the cup, it was named Flat White. Flat means "flat," and White refers to the white coffee with milk added.
Starting in the 1980s, Australians put Flat White on fixed menus, and soon it spread to coffee shops in Europe, America, and other countries. Flat White was able to become a popular hot product in China because Starbucks introduced it in 2015 and named it "Fu Rui Bai" as one of its main beverages, which also meant that this milk coffee had become mainstream.
In terms of preparation, what are the differences between the three coffees?
The first is cup size. According to Front Street's production standards, latte uses a 300ml wide-mouth ceramic cup, cappuccino uses a 180ml narrow-mouth ceramic cup,The preparation of flat white coffeeuses a 210ml glass cup. Next is distinguishing the components of these three coffees. Latte is made with 2 shots of espresso (40g) plus 260ml of steamed milk and milk foam. Cappuccino is made with 1 shot of espresso (20g) plus 160ml of steamed milk and milk foam. Flat white is made with 2 shots of ristretto (30g) plus 180ml of steamed milk and milk foam. Among these, ristretto is the front and middle portion of an espresso extraction, with a richer and more intense flavor.
Milk foam thickness has always been an important feature for everyone to distinguish latte,cappuccino, and flat white. Among these three, cappuccino has the thickest milk foam (about 1-1.5cm), and its most obvious feature is being "11 out of 10 full," that is, the milk foam of cappuccino rises above the cup in a protruding hamburger shape; flat white has the thinnest milk foam (about 0.3cm). Because flat white's milk foam is thin, its liquid surface is basically level with the cup, hence the name "flat white"; while latte's milk foam thickness is between the two (0.5cm). Latte's milk foam thickness is very suitable for latte art, and one reason for choosing a wide-mouth cup is to better create latte art patterns.
In terms of taste and mouthfeel, because latte has the most milk, its milk flavor is more prominent, while flat white, because it is ristretto plus less milk, highlights the rich aroma of coffee. Cappuccino is in between the two. In terms of mouthfeel, cappuccino has the fullest mouthfeel, due to its fine and generous milk foam, combined with the integration of coffee crema, making it especially smooth and full. Next is flat white, and finally latte.
Can all of these coffees be made iced?
Usually when we order a latte, we tell the barista whether to make it iced or hot, but traditional cappuccino and flat white only offer hot drinks. This is mainly because during their invention and popularization, baristas did not "incidentally invent" an iced coffee method, and they are also by default served hot. Secondly, because baristas hope that when you drink it, every sip can combine the milk foam perfectly with the milk coffee underneath. Only when the milk foam is very dense, relatively thin, and at a temperature suitable for drinking can you simultaneously taste the milk foam and the rich coffee liquid in every sip, and quickly finish it before the milk foam separates. After adding ice cubes, the cooled milk coffee will be somewhat diluted and cannot achieve the above effect.
If you really want a rich milk coffee with an iced sensation, Front Street Coffee suggests everyone try the very popular Dirty coffee of recent years, that is, dripping freshly extracted espresso onto the top layer of cooled fresh milk or purified milk, presenting a "dirty" visual effect, with a very unique alternating hot-and-cold mouthfeel.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
