How to Order a Delicious Flat White: Professional Coffee Guide

It's the weekend again! Those romantic and cold-resistant country folks can bring their girlfriends/boyfriends (suitable for singles too), sit outdoors, put on small sunglasses, feel the gentle (cold) wind, bask in the sun, order a flat white, watch the falling leaves, and feel the arrival of early winter. Flat white, our theme today.

Is Flat White Really a "White Rich Beautiful"?

On Starbucks' official website, they write: We select Starbucks refined concentrated coffee, using less water to extract a more aromatic coffee; meanwhile, we steam milk until the foam is dense and smooth. Slowly pour the milk into the coffee, letting sweetness meet richness, ending with a white dot. The beauty of refinement, simplicity is art!

In Starbucks stores, there are also prominent explanations of what a flat white is, with some shops creating display boards at their entrances. Such descriptions make you feel that not trying a cup would be a disservice to it. However, as a rigorous and objective person, I wasn't blinded by such flowery descriptions (actually, it was to write this article), so FrontStreet Coffee activated "curious baby" mode and decided to investigate the truth about flat whites.

Let me give you an interesting popular science explanation. Latte, also known as milk coffee, has Italian espresso at the bottom, milk at 65-75℃ in the middle, and cold milk foam on top, with a ratio of 1:2:1. Cappuccino has less milk than latte, with a ratio of 1:2:1, so its espresso flavor is richer. Therefore, colloquially speaking, flat white is a beverage between latte and cappuccino, with the difference being slight variations in the proportions of the three raw materials.

For Starbucks, flat white uses Ristretto (Italian super-concentrated coffee), while latte uses Espresso (Italian concentrated coffee). So, the studious and meticulous country folks are asking about the difference between these two. Simply put, the amount of coffee grounds used to make Ristretto is the same as regular Espresso, but the water amount is only half. Espresso's water-to-coffee ratio is generally 1:2, meaning 40g of coffee is made with 20g of coffee grounds; while Italian super-concentrated coffee's water-to-coffee ratio is 1:1, meaning 20g of coffee is made with 20g of coffee grounds.

In human terms, Ristretto is a small cup of Espresso. Specifically in terms of taste, some people think Ristretto has the texture of whiskey, some think it tastes dry and astringent, while others believe Espresso tastes more balanced. Of course, after saying so much, ordinary coffee enthusiasts probably can't taste the difference between these two.

In addition, flat white, latte, and cappuccino have many differences in production details, such as foam, milk steaming time, latte art, etc. The fine foam (microfoam) used in flat white is for a more delicate and silky texture, with foam thickness less than 5mm, while latte's foam is relatively thick, with foam thickness greater than 1cm, and cappuccino uses textured coarse foam (dry foam), which is super thick. Cappuccino requires boiling the milk, while latte requires 3-5 seconds of steaming time, and flat white requires the least, controlled at 3 seconds. Please feel these subtle differences.

Summary and Origin

In summary, all theoretical feelings about flat white can be summarized in two words: silky and rich. However, the male god Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) opened a coffee shop in New York in 2013, and he revealed: flat white is just a latte with more coffee and less milk. In FrontStreet Coffee's view, using an inappropriate metaphor to describe flat white is: a stronger latte, a thinner cappuccino.

"Flat White" - when you first hear this name, you naturally connect it with white coffee, or coffee with less coffee content and whiter color. Starbucks' new product "Flat White". Flat white and latte taste very similar. Flat white's bitterness is heavier than the milk taste, slightly more bitter than latte, with aftertaste; latte's milk taste is heavier, with slight bitterness. In our memory, latte is milk taste plus slight bitterness, while flat white is slight bitterness with milk taste.

Recently, milk-based coffee that has become popular in the global and Chinese markets is actually a variation of cappuccino - flat white, originated in Australia with fine foam latte coffee, which actually appeared as early as the 1980s.

FrontStreet Coffee Explains Flat White

Speaking of which, FrontStreet Coffee needs to explain some issues about flat white.

The general meaning from Wikipedia:

Flat white is a coffee drink originating from Australia. But later some people argued that flat white actually originated from New Zealand. However, the latter claim appeared three years after the former claim. Flat white blends delicate micro foam with a portion of concentrated coffee or double Ristretto. To some extent, it's somewhat similar to traditional 5-ounce cups (150mL) of cappuccino or latte, therefore, flat white has a higher proportion of coffee, the milk foam is thinner and more delicate, and the Espresso flavor is richer while also maintaining the milk's fragrance.

From the above statement, we can easily find three problems:

1. The origin of flat white is controversial;

2. The proportion of concentrated coffee in flat white is higher;

3. What are the differences between flat white, cappuccino, and latte;

Let's first discuss these three problems, and then compare this with Starbucks' flat white.

The Controversy Over Origin

A famous foreign food website published an article titled "Australia and New Zealand culinary war in new front over flat white inventor" with an interview video.

The video interviewed a barista from New Zealand named McInnes. McInnes said that flat white appeared when he was making a cappuccino for a customer, and due to a mistake during the milk frothing process, the foam wasn't fully whipped. He explained to the customer: "Sorry, this is a flat white." This happened in the winter of 1989.

Coincidentally, another barista from Sydney named Preston in the video said: "I'm telling you, I was the first to name it flat white!" Preston said he opened a cafe called MOORS ESPRESSO BAR in 1985, and when it first opened, he wrote the name flat white on the menu, and attached a photo of his shop's drink menu, which indeed had flat white. He also created a website specifically for his story, interested parties can check it out at http://www.flatwhitehistory.com.au.

In my opinion, regardless of where flat white originated or who created it, it's no longer that important. The appearance of flat white is actually an inevitable development in the ever-changing world of coffee. Its emergence emphasizes the flavor of Espresso without losing the aroma of milk, making it a very favored drink among coffee lovers.

Speaking of which, it's necessary to explain some issues about flat white. Flat white is a coffee drink originating from Australia. But later some people argued that flat white actually originated from New Zealand. New Zealanders like to use Double Ristretto, while Australian counterparts would use Single Espresso.

Flat white blends delicate micro foam with a portion of concentrated coffee or double Ristretto. To some extent, it's somewhat similar to traditional 5-ounce cups (150mL) of cappuccino or latte, therefore, coffee has a higher proportion, the milk foam is thinner and more delicate, and the Espresso flavor is richer while also maintaining the milk's fragrance.

Ristretto means "restricted," so ristretto is actually concentrated coffee with restricted flow rate, meaning ristretto's flow rate will be slower.

For example, if espresso uses 18g of grounds to extract 36g of concentrated coffee in about 25 seconds, then ristretto uses 18g of grounds to extract 18g of concentrated coffee in about 25 seconds, so ristretto will be very, very concentrated (the grind will also be different from normal espresso).

FrontStreet Coffee, when making flat white, usually blends double Ristretto with milk that has thinner foam and puts it in a 180mL coffee cup, which makes the flat white's coffee aroma richer. Flat White (a 200ml cup): the base is two portions of concentrated coffee, and some places will extract the esp for longer, two portions of Ristretto.

Flat White, Cappuccino, Latte Differences

When FrontStreet Coffee searched online for the differences between these three coffees, you'll find that most descriptions focus on foam thickness. Actually, this isn't the case. Foam thickness only affects the coffee's texture to some extent but doesn't determine the coffee's taste. What determines the difference between flat white, cappuccino, and latte is mainly the coffee proportion.

In fact, the differences between the three can be categorized by coffee aroma richness: flat white > cappuccino > latte; and by foam thickness: cappuccino > latte > flat white. Flat White's requirement for milk is to remove the relatively loose surface foam, keeping only the more delicate middle part.

After basically understanding what kind of coffee flat white is, let's look at what Starbucks' new flat white actually is?

For most consumers, the term flat white entered our vision starting from a coffee launched by Starbucks in 2015. Afterward, various coffee brands launched flat white products one after another, giving this beverage from the southern hemisphere various names: Starbucks' "Flat White," Costa's "Rich Art White," and emerging chain coffee brand Luckin Coffee's "Aus White." So what are the differences between these different brands' flat whites?

Most coffee shops' coffee machines are semi-automatic double-head coffee machines. When extracting Espresso, they use standard 18-20 gram baskets to extract 60mL of Espresso. Since 180mL of flat white contains 30mL of Ristretto, then Ristretto accounts for 16.7% of the entire flat white, and the taste and flavor are very good. So, putting aside coffee bean quality factors, if we only calculate based on Ristretto's 16.7% proportion, according to Starbucks' cup sizes tall (12 ounces)/grande (16 ounces)/venti (20 ounces), the amount of Ristretto that should be added are 60ml, 80ml, and 100ml respectively.

Under normal circumstances, Ristretto extraction generally stops about 15 seconds after the first drop of coffee liquid flows into the cup, with an extraction amount of about 30mL. If we proceed according to the above speculation, Starbucks would need to extract 2, 3, and 4 times respectively according to different cup sizes to achieve the theoretical concentration ratio. Starbucks' serving speed is still astonishing, which must be attributed to their fully automatic coffee machine Mastrena.

After basically understanding what kind of coffee flat white is, today, the editor brings you flat white products from three domestic chain brands; Flat White, Starbucks calls it "Flat White", COSTA calls it "Rich Art White", Luckin calls it "Aus White". The prices of these three coffees are 36 yuan, 33 yuan, and 27 yuan respectively.

First, let's talk about the coffee. According to the staff's description, there's much mystery in this coffee. Unlike Italian concentrated coffee (Espresso), Starbucks says Miss Flat White uses refined concentrated coffee (Ristretto Shot). Compared to concentrated coffee (Espresso Shot), because of less extraction time and amount, the coffee is richer, more mellow, and slightly sweet. If you want to try stronger coffee, it's definitely a good choice.

COSTA Rich Art White

COSTA's Rich Art White is made from concentrated coffee and milk, characterized by silkier foam texture and heart-shaped latte art, priced at 31 yuan. Costa stores: Australia and New Zealand farm pure milk, with fresh milk newly added.

COSTA emphasizes latte art effect very much. From the appearance and foam presentation effect, Rich Art White is the best among the three brands. After opening the lid, the foam still maintains tightness. However, the taste of Rich Art White is very unsatisfying.

Luckin Aus White

Aus White chose a more standard Australian flat white formula: espresso + milk. The first impression after opening the lid is: the foam is relatively thin. Luckin Coffee also uses Australia and New Zealand farm pure milk, same as Costa. Aus White has a heavier milk taste, with coffee and milk flavors relatively balanced.

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