What is the Milk Ratio in Flat White Coffee and How to Adjust Its Bitterness - Flat White Coffee Recipe and Parameter Adjustment Tutorial

Before making a Flat White coffee, FrontStreet Coffee would like to briefly introduce its definition and characteristics.

Flat White Coffee

Also known as Australian White Coffee, Little White Coffee, or Fu Rui White Coffee, it originated from Melbourne, Australia. When Italians introduced espresso coffee to Australia in the 1980s, this milk coffee beverage was adapted to suit local tastes. Named "Flat White" because the thin foam sits level with the cup's surface.

Like latte and cappuccino, Flat White is made only from espresso and fresh milk, and has become a very popular espresso coffee beverage in recent years. Compared to the balanced taste of latte, Flat White emphasizes the rich aroma of coffee itself and highlights the coffee flavor more; while compared to the abundant foam of cappuccino, Flat White's foam layer is thin and delicate, with a smooth mouthfeel that makes it easier to taste the coffee liquid.

Where Does Flat White Come From?

Regarding the invention of Flat White, Australians and New Zealanders each insist 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 is certain that this drink originated from everyone's pursuit of higher-quality coffee.

Before the 1970s, coffee shops in Australia all made black coffee using methods like French press and manual drip brewing. In the early 1970s, Italians brought espresso machines to Australia, officially starting a new wave of coffee trends. Compared to traditional latte and cappuccino, Australians pursued milk beverages 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 turned into 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 fixed menus, and it soon spread to cafes in European and American countries. Flat White became a popular product in China after Starbucks introduced it in 2015, naming it "Fu Rui White" as one of their main beverages, which meant this milk coffee had become mainstream.

Returning to the drink itself, Flat White uses milk to highlight the coffee's flavor - coffee is the protagonist, and milk is just auxiliary. Therefore, in terms of taste, the coffee flavor is more abundant and richer. Additionally, the thin upper foam layer ensures that every sip of concentrated coffee liquid comes with a velvety dense foam layer. The moderate temperature and smaller cup size allow it to be consumed quickly before the foam layers separate. Besides differences in cup size and milk foam thickness, some baristas replace the base with double Ristretto to better express the aroma of coffee beans, incorporating foam thickness similar to latte in a 150ml cup.

Flat White Proportions and Parameters

To present a richer coffee flavor, Flat White needs to address three aspects: foam, milk ratio, and espresso base.

1. Foam

The "Flat" in Flat White means level, meaning the finished Flat White must have foam as thin as the cup's rim, without the foam layer bulging. Typically, latte foam presents about 1cm of bulge, while Flat White foam can only be about 0.5cm, otherwise it's difficult to achieve a "level" liquid surface. Regarding specific foam thickness, each coffee shop has different approaches. Some baristas, to allow customers to taste the upper coffee crema to the greatest extent, directly heat milk without frothing and inject it into the espresso.

2. Espresso Base

The espresso base used in Flat White is not the common Espresso but the richer-tasting Ristretto. Australians believe the latter part of Espresso "dilutes" the coffee flavor, so they only take its front and middle sections, "restricting" the later extraction, hence called Ristretto. The front and middle parts of Espresso reduce the extraction of macromolecular carbohydrates, highlighting the coffee's acidity and roasted aroma more.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee uses 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid for Espresso, while Ristretto uses the same 20 grams of grounds to extract 28-30 grams of coffee liquid, "discarding" the later extraction.

3. Milk Ratio

Flat White, which pursues a rich mouthfeel, adds a smaller proportion of milk to espresso, with specific milk amounts determined by the cup size used in the store. Imagine if the same milk ratio as latte were used, the overall taste would be more like coffee-flavored milk. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's ceramic cup for Flat White is 200ml, with two shots of Ristretto (30g) as the base, requiring 170g of hot milk to present a richer and fuller coffee flavor.

Making a Flat White Coffee

Now that we understand the main characteristics of Flat White, FrontStreet Coffee will make a Flat White following the store's production process.

First, wipe the portafilter basket dry with a clean towel, open the grinder and grind 20 grams of coffee grounds into the basket, gently tapping to level.

Use a distribution tool to level the grounds, then use a tamper to press evenly into a compact puck.

Open the extraction switch to run water, wetting the group head while removing any attached coffee grounds, gently lock the portafilter to the group head, and start the extraction. Pay attention to the weight and time of the extracted coffee liquid. When the scale shows 28-30g of coffee liquid extracted in about 27-28 seconds, you can stop the extraction. Pour the two Ristretto shots into a pre-warmed Flat White cup.

Pour 170ml of fresh milk into the milk pitcher. After frothing, the dense foam will be about 5mm thick. Gently shake the Ristretto base in the cup, then evenly and thoroughly blend the frothed hot milk.

The flavor expression of Flat White depends on the coffee beans used by each store. FrontStreet Coffee's espresso is made with FrontStreet Coffee's own roasted "Frontsteet Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans." The extracted Espresso presents whiskey aroma, vanilla, cream, and berry-like acidity. When combined with milk, the Flat White presents chocolate milk and whiskey-filled chocolate flavors, with a smooth, fragrant, and rich mouthfeel and a very long-lasting aftertaste.

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