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

Flat White, sometimes translated as "flat white" or "Australian white coffee" and also called "fresh milk concentrated coffee," is known in Starbucks China as "Fu Rui Bai Coffee." It comes from the fancy milk coffee tradition of New Zealand and Australia. Legend has it that during World War II, Italian immigrants brought coffee culture to New Zealand and Australia, and out of that milieu the Flat White emerged in the 1980s.

The Origin of Flat White Coffee

There are two stories about how the Flat White was invented. One holds that a barista set out to make a cappuccino, which has a stronger coffee flavor than a latte and thicker foam than a latte, but failed to froth the milk enough, ending up with a milk coffee stronger than a latte yet with thinner foam than a latte.

The other holds that many customers wanted a milk coffee with a rich coffee flavor and disliked the 1:6 coffee-to-milk ratio of a latte, so some cafes introduced very small servings, pouring a milk coffee at roughly 1:1 coffee to milk and creating a fresh-milk concentrated coffee of only about 3oz.

Can Flat White Coffee Be Made Iced?

Whichever story is true, the upshot is that a Flat White has a higher coffee concentration than a latte. Some cafes even pull ristretto, which is more concentrated than regular espresso, then pair it with thinner foam than a latte, producing a milk coffee with a velvety texture and a rich coffee flavor.

For that reason, an authentic Flat White comes only in the hot version. Starbucks did introduce a cold version to meet varied customer demand, but compared with the hot version it is noticeably thinner. If you want the full, rich Flat White experience, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing the hot version.

Flavor and Texture Characteristics of Ristretto

Ristretto is a type of espresso. Compared with the espresso we usually talk about, a ristretto extracts less liquid under the same parameters, so it is more concentrated. If the beans used for the espresso carry acidity, then the ristretto's acidity will be higher still.

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso drinks currently all use a house-blended "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Bean," made of 30% Ethiopian natural Yirgacheffe plus 70% Honduras sherry beans. In FrontStreet Coffee's cupping, this bean shows whiskey aroma, soft berry acidity, vanilla cream, and nut caramel.

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

A ristretto is really just an espresso with a smaller extraction ratio. So FrontStreet Coffee uses the same grind size and dose as an espresso but extracts less liquid, which also takes longer; the grounds-to-liquid ratio is generally about 1:1.6.

How to Make Flat White Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee uses a 200ml cup, adds a double ristretto (35g), and pours hot milk with thin foam in from the center while dispersing the espresso. This creates a layered progression of flavor. The first sip brings the rich fermented wine aroma of the espresso; the second, the strawberry-milkshake flavor created as espresso and milk fuse; and the third, the roasted nut flavor that comes when a little coffee meets a lot of milk.

Because we want the drinker to finish the coffee at its most perfect, it should be neither too hot nor too thick, and it must be dense. Where a cappuccino and a latte pursue airy "fluffiness," an Australian white should pursue silky "smoothness." FrontStreet Coffee wants guests to taste an Australian white that is creamy and smooth without being watery. We keep a 0.3cm foam layer to fuse with the espresso for latte art, and hold the temperature at 50-55 degrees Celsius so it is easy to drink.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To make milk drinks like a Flat White at home, the espresso base matters most. FrontStreet offers three blends that suit different goals.

FrontStreet Classic Blend

A medium-dark espresso recipe built from three regions, inspired by the old "Mamba" style, which paired Mandheling with Brazil. To add aroma and richness, FrontStreet Classic Blend also includes a small amount of Robusta. On extraction it gives off clear butter, toasted bread, and caramel biscuit aromas, with a strong flavor, a solid body, and fine crema that extracts very steadily. It is a dependable everyday home coffee for beginners.

FrontStreet Specialty Blend

Also a medium-dark espresso blend, this one is for those who like a rich, nutty profile. It pairs washed Colombian beans with semi-washed Brazilian beans, so espresso shows nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors. Whether you make an Americano or milk drinks such as a latte or a flat white, it highlights smooth cream, almond, and cocoa aromas, with crema that easily matches a cafe's, and it is more than capable for latte-art practice. It suits anyone aiming to open a shop or learn at home.

FrontStreet Commercial Blend

If the Specialty and Classic blends are made for beginners, FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend is tailored for those about to open a shop. It takes the Specialty Blend as its base and adds a small amount of Robusta, in the traditional Italian style, to build more deep-brown, fine crema and a heavier body. Whether you make an Americano, latte, or mocha, it carries nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors and makes latte art effortless.