Coffee culture

Is Flat White Delicious? How to Drink It, Preparation Methods and Characteristics Introduction. Is Australian White Coffee Better Cold or Hot?

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/28, For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

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For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

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What is Flat White Coffee?

Have you ever had flat white coffee? Many people have tried lattes and cappuccinos, but have you heard of flat white coffee? Compared to these two espresso-based milk coffees, flat white is an espresso beverage with less milk and more coffee. In different regions of China, flat white has been translated as Australian White Coffee, Little White Coffee, Fu Yi White Coffee, and Australian Rui White Coffee.

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How to Make Flat White Coffee

For making flat white coffee, one part espresso is added to milk with thin, fine microfoam, creating a final product of about 100ml. Alternatively, two parts ristretto espresso are added to milk with thin, fine microfoam, creating a final product of about 200ml. Why are there two methods of preparation?

The Debate Over the Origin of Flat White Coffee

Speaking of the origin of flat white, it is said that during World War II, many Italians fled Europe to two neutral countries—Australia and New Zealand—and thus espresso culture was introduced to these countries.

As for whether Australia or New Zealand had it first? The two countries still debate this today. Some say it appeared in Sydney in the 1980s, while others claim it emerged in Melbourne in the 1970s. New Zealanders even protested, believing that flat white, as commonly known today, was developed in Wellington in the late 1980s.

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Therefore, to distinguish between them, flat white coffee has been divided into two schools. In Australia, single espresso (Single Espresso) is used with a small amount of milk; in New Zealand, double ristretto espresso (Double Ristretto) is used. Although the espresso base differs, the essence is the same: to create a milk coffee with a strong coffee flavor, giving those who find espresso too strong and lattes too milky another option.

How to Make Flat White Coffee

The steps for making milk coffee are actually quite similar: extracting espresso, frothing milk, and combining them. Almost all milk coffees follow these steps. However, as FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, the characteristics of flat white coffee are its rich coffee flavor and thin foam. The differences lie in controlling the espresso extraction parameters, the thickness of the milk foam, and the ratio of milk to coffee.

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FrontStreet Coffee uses double espresso (40ml) and adds 160ml of frothed milk with 0.5cm thin foam, fully combining them to create a final product of about 200ml.

How to Extract Double Espresso

Regarding the extraction of double espresso, as fresh-roasted coffee beans age over time, the carbon dioxide within the beans gradually decreases. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee adjusts the espresso extraction daily to ensure the consistency of all espresso products in their stores.

Fresh-roasted coffee beans are particularly crucial for extracting good espresso. All coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are shipped within 5 days of roasting. For espresso extraction, it's recommended to use specially blended espresso beans, which can further stabilize the flavor and quality of the extracted espresso.

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To accommodate different coffee shops' requirements for pricing and flavor of espresso blends, FrontStreet Coffee has launched 4 types of espresso blend beans. The most important thing for making espresso is using fresh-roasted coffee beans. All coffee shipped by FrontStreet Coffee is sent within 5 days of roasting.

FrontStreet Coffee's stores use the "Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend Coffee Bean," which is blended from Ethiopian natural-processed red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduras sherry barrel-aged coffee beans (70%). It features rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweet and sour notes, and roasted nut flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee's store double espresso extraction parameters: 19.8g extra-fine ground coffee powder, extracted at 9-10 bar pressure to produce 38g espresso liquid, extraction time 30 seconds.

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Since coffee machines and grinders cannot achieve uniform standards, different brands of coffee machines/grinders have different performances, and the condition of fresh-roasted coffee beans varies daily, so these parameters cannot be directly referenced.

If you're in the initial stage, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a medium extraction parameter that everyone can adjust based on the coffee's flavor performance: Use 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid at a 1:2 ratio under 9 bar pressure, within 25-30 seconds. Make corresponding adjustments based on the actual flavor performance of the coffee after extraction.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473

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