Can Starbucks Flat White be made iced? How to pronounce Flat White, Australian White coffee preparation method and taste characteristics

Flat White, translated as "Flat White" or "Australian White Coffee," also known as "Fresh Milk Concentrated Coffee," is called "Fu Rui Bai Coffee" by Starbucks China. It originates from fancy milk coffee in New Zealand and Australia regions. According to legend, during World War II, Italians immigrated to New Zealand and Australia, bringing coffee culture to the local area, which gave rise to Flat White coffee in the 1980s.

The Origin of Flat White Coffee

There are two stories about how Flat White Coffee was invented. One is that a barista wanted to make a cappuccino (which has a stronger coffee flavor than latte and thicker foam than latte), but the foam wasn't frothed enough, resulting in a milk coffee with stronger coffee flavor than latte but thinner foam than latte.

Another reason is that many consumers wanted to drink milk coffee with rich coffee flavor, not wanting the 1:6 coffee-to-milk ratio of latte, so some coffee shops introduced very small portions, launching milk coffee with about 1:1 coffee-to-milk ratio, creating a fresh milk concentrated coffee of only about 3oz.

Can Flat White Coffee Be Made Iced?

Regardless of which reason, we can see that Flat White Coffee has a higher coffee concentration than latte. Some coffee shops even use ristretto (which has higher concentration than regular espresso), then pair it with thinner foam than latte, creating a milk coffee with velvety texture and rich coffee flavor.

Therefore, authentic Flat White Coffee only comes in hot version. However, to meet different consumer needs, Starbucks introduced a cold version. Compared to the hot version, the cold Flat White Coffee is relatively thinner. If you want to drink rich Flat White Coffee, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing the hot version.

Flavor and Texture Characteristics of Ristretto

Ristretto is a type of espresso. Compared to the espresso we usually talk about, ristretto extracts less coffee liquid under the same extraction parameters as espresso, therefore its concentration is higher than espresso. If the coffee beans used for making espresso have acidity, then the acidity of ristretto will be higher than espresso.

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee's espresso products all use a house-blended "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Bean," composed of 30% Ethiopian natural Yirgacheffe plus 70% Honduras sherry coffee beans. Through FrontStreet Coffee's cupping, this coffee bean has flavors of whiskey aroma, soft berry acidity, vanilla cream, and nut caramel.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily espresso extraction uses 9-10 bar pressure to extract coffee liquid with about 1:2 coffee grounds to liquid ratio. Normally, single espresso uses 9-11g coffee grounds to extract about 15-25g coffee liquid, double espresso uses 18-20g coffee grounds to extract about 35-45g coffee liquid. The less coffee liquid extracted, the higher the coffee concentration.

Ristretto is actually espresso with a smaller extraction ratio. So FrontStreet Coffee uses the same grind size and amount of coffee grounds as espresso to extract less coffee liquid, and the extraction time will be longer, generally extracting with a coffee grounds to liquid ratio of about 1:1.6.

How to Make Flat White Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee uses a 200ml cup, adds double ristretto (35g), and injects hot milk with thin foam from the center while dispersing the espresso. This approach creates a gradient flavor performance. The first sip is the rich fermented wine aroma of espresso, the second sip is the strawberry milkshake flavor created by the fusion of espresso and milk, and the third sip is the roasted nut flavor created by the fusion of a small amount of coffee and milk.

Because we want the drinker to finish the coffee in its most perfect state, it should neither be too hot nor too thick, and must be dense. If cappuccino and latte pursue airy "fluffiness," then Australian White Coffee should pursue silky "smoothness." FrontStreet Coffee wants customers to experience Australian White that is creamily smooth without being too "watery." We will retain a 0.3cm foam layer to fuse with the espresso for latte art, and control the temperature at 50-55 degrees Celsius, making it easier to drink.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473