What is Starbucks Flat White Coffee and How to Make It? Flat White Coffee Milk Ratio and Brewing Recommendations

What is Flat White Coffee?

When it comes to rich, milk-based coffee, many people might first think of Starbucks' Flat White. Internationally, it's known as Flat White. This drink was actually quite obscure in China initially, but after Starbucks added it to their menu, it gradually gained recognition and became one of the popular coffee choices.

Where Does Flat White Come From?

Regarding the invention of Flat White, both Australians and New Zealanders claim that this drink originated from their country, and baristas from both countries have different recipes for making Flat White. Although we cannot determine exactly which country Flat White comes from, it's certain that this drink emerged from people's pursuit of higher-quality coffee.

Before the 1970s, Australian coffee shops typically brewed black coffee using methods like French press and manual drip. In the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, officially launching a new wave of coffee culture. Compared to traditional lattes and cappuccinos, Australians sought milk drinks with thinner foam and stronger coffee flavor. Thus, milk coffee began to be continuously "improved" in regions like Australia and New Zealand. When the foam on milk coffee became increasingly flat until it formed a thin layer, completely level with the cup's rim, it was named Flat White. "Flat" means "level," and "White" refers to white coffee with milk added.

Starting in the 1980s, Australians wrote Flat White on their fixed menus, and it soon spread to cafés in European and American countries. Flat White became a popular product in China after Starbucks introduced it in 2015 and named it "馥芮白" (Fù Ruì Bái) as one of their signature drinks, meaning this milk coffee had become mainstream.

The Unique Characteristics of Flat White

Returning to the drink itself, Flat White highlights coffee flavor by adding milk—coffee is the protagonist, and milk is just supporting. Therefore, in terms of taste, the coffee flavor is more abundant and richer. Additionally, the thin foam layer on top ensures that every sip of rich coffee liquid carries a velvety, dense foam layer. The moderate temperature and smaller cup size allow it to be consumed quickly before the foam separates.

In addition to differences in cup size and milk foam thickness, some baristas replace the base with double Ristretto to better express the excellent aroma of coffee beans, incorporating foam thickness equivalent to latte in a 150ml capacity cup.

The Difference Between Ristretto and Espresso

Ristretto means "restricted" in Italian and is also called Italian extra-strong coffee. It can be considered a "restricted" version of espresso, typically using only the front and middle portions of Espresso. Therefore, it tastes stronger and has more concentrated flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso-based drinks mostly use Espresso as the base, so FrontStreet Coffee's baristas use standard extracted Espresso as reference before opening. Each coffee bean's extraction recipe will have slight differences—this extraction recipe is adjusted by baristas before daily operations based on the "Warm Sun Blend" used in the store.

FrontStreet Coffee's Espresso extraction recipe: 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid, taking 28-30 seconds. For Ristretto, without changing grind size and dose, using the same 20g of coffee grounds to extract 27g of coffee liquid, taking 20-25 seconds. Since Ristretto only uses the front and middle portions of espresso, its concentration is higher than Espresso, with a stronger taste, less caffeine content, and more intense berry acidity, wine aroma, and caramel flavors.

Making Flat White: The Coffee-to-Milk Ratio

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso-based drinks use their house-roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend," composed of 70% Honduras Sherry coffee and 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee. The sherry's whiskey, vanilla, and cream flavors combined with the red cherry's tropical fruits and fermentation notes create a rich and smooth coffee experience in the cup.

FrontStreet Coffee maintains the characteristics of small cup size, thin foam, and double ristretto as the base when making Flat White. FrontStreet Coffee uses a smaller ceramic cup of about 200ml capacity compared to hot latte, pouring the freshly extracted double Ristretto. FrontStreet Coffee believes milk shouldn't be too much, otherwise it would overpower the coffee's rich aroma, so the coffee-to-milk ratio here is 1:5, meaning about 150ml of fresh milk.

FrontStreet Coffee wants customers to experience Flat White's creamy smooth texture without being too "watery," so they preserve a 0.3cm foam layer, requiring milk to be frothed with less air than latte coffee to achieve such thin foam. FrontStreet Coffee believes milk temperature should ideally be controlled at 55-60°C, which both highlights sweetness and isn't too hot. Finally, the well-frothed milk is evenly incorporated into the coffee liquid for serving.

FrontStreet Coffee's Flat White presents aromas of vanilla, cream, chocolate milk, whiskey-filled chocolate, and berry tartness. The entry is smooth, mellow, and rich, with a very persistent aftertaste.

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

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