Does Flat White Have Sugar? How Many Espresso Shots Are in Luckin Flat White?

Flat White coffee is what we commonly see as Flat White at Starbucks and AusWhite at Luckin Coffee. It's typically unsweetened, primarily characterized by highlighting the richness of coffee and the silkiness of milk, making it a very popular milk-based coffee.

Thinner Milk Foam in Flat White

Friends who have visited FrontStreet Coffee and tried Flat White may have noticed that the serving size is smaller than a latte, the coffee flavor is more intense than a latte, and the milk foam thickness is also thinner. In fact, Flat White coffee is derived from the latte.

Last century, when Italians brought espresso coffee to regions like Australia and New Zealand, locals didn't particularly enjoy the thick-foamed cappuccinos and lattes. So people began frothing milk to create thinner foam. As the thin milk foam integrated into the coffee, the liquid surface became increasingly flat until it formed a thin layer completely level with the cup's rim, giving us today's Flat White. "Flat" means "level," and "White" refers to milk coffee.

Typically, latte coffee has a milk foam thickness of about 0.5cm, presenting a slightly domed full-cup effect after integrating with coffee for latte art. Flat White's foam is the thinnest, controlled within 0.3cm, otherwise it's difficult to achieve the "flat" liquid surface. Regarding specific foam thickness, each coffee shop varies. Some baristas, to allow customers maximum taste of the upper coffee crema, might skip frothing milk entirely, directly heating milk and pouring it into espresso. At FrontStreet Coffee, we want customers to experience a Flat White that's creamy smooth without being too "watery," so we maintain a 0.3cm foam layer.

Less Milk Ratio in Flat White

When making latte coffee, coffee shops have their own coffee-to-milk ratios. Flat White typically determines milk quantity based on serving size. In New Zealand, baristas use small 150ml cups, reducing milk content and naturally intensifying the coffee flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee uses approximately 200ml ceramic cups for serving. With espresso as the base, FrontStreet Coffee incorporates 150ml of fresh milk. To achieve light, thin foam, the milk requires less aeration than for lattes, creating a thinner, denser foam layer. Temperature should ideally be controlled between 55-60°C for better taste. The espresso base uses FrontStreet Coffee's own Sunny Blend coffee beans, with a double Ristretto base. Some might wonder: they've heard of espresso, but what is Ristretto?

Less Coffee Liquid in Ristretto

Ristretto, translated as "restricted espresso," means "restriction" in Italian and is also called Italian specialty concentrated coffee. It can be seen as a "restricted" version of espresso, typically taking only the front to middle portions of espresso, resulting in a stronger, more concentrated flavor profile.

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso 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 plan has slight variations. This extraction plan involves parameters adjusted daily by baristas before opening, based on the Sunny Blend used in the shop.

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

Richer Flavor in Flat White Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee believes Flat White originated from people's pursuit of specialty coffee bean flavors and mouthfeel, resulting in various preparation methods. These depend on the coffee beans used by the coffee shop and the barista's understanding of Flat White. Typically, baristas focus on aspects like small serving size, thin foam, and concentrated espresso base to present Flat White's unique texture.

FrontStreet Coffee uses its own roasted "Sunflower Sunny Blend" for espresso coffee, composed of 70% Honduras Sherry coffee and 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee. The whiskey, vanilla, and cream notes of Sherry, combined with the tropical fruit and fermentation notes of Red Cherry, create rich coffee aroma in the cup with a smooth texture. The Flat White produced presents notes of vanilla, chocolate milk, whiskey-filled chocolate, and berry sweetness and acidity, with a mellow, rich entry and a very long-lasting aftertaste.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473