Should Flat Whites Have Latte Art? What's the Difference Between Flat White, Latte, and Cappuccino?

Why Don't Some Flat Whites Have Latte Art?

Since latte art can significantly enhance the visual appeal of milk coffee, most coffee shops consider it a standard feature when serving larger hot milk coffees. However, "most" doesn't mean "all." If you frequently visit different coffee shops, you may have noticed that some establishments serve flat whites without latte art.

The minimalist surface with a single white dot on the right in the image below represents a flat white without latte art. Over the years, the concept that "latte art is standard for milk coffee" has become deeply ingrained. That's why many friends, when drinking coffee at FrontStreet Coffee's storefront, often discuss the topic of "why some coffee shops don't make latte art for their flat whites."

In fact, it's not just about latte art—each coffee shop's flat white varies in cup size and preparation method. The reason behind this is that every coffee shop and every barista has a different understanding of what constitutes a flat white. This phenomenon exists primarily because the "definition" of flat white coffee itself is quite varied. As we know, two countries have been competing for the origin of flat white: New Zealand and Australia, both insisting they are the birthplace of this beverage.

New Zealander Fraser McInnes claimed that he accidentally created the flat white while working at a coffee shop called Cafe Bodega in Wellington. He inadvertently made the foam for a cappuccino too thin, which led to the name. (Although the truth is that a rich milk coffee with thin foam existed as early as 1984, due to limited information flow at the time, his experience was written into some coffee origin textbooks.)

Australian barista Alan Preston, however, argued that the flat white was developed at his Sydney cafe, Moors Espresso Bar, and was already on the menu back in 1985. When serving flat whites, they use cups of the same capacity as lattes, with the main difference being that flat whites have thinner foam.

To this day, the debate over the flat white's origin remains unresolved, which is why each coffee shop's flat white standards differ from others, with considerable variation—including whether to add latte art or not. But there's more to it than that.

The Characteristic Features of Flat White

From the introduction above, we can learn that although flat white standards differ between countries, whether in New Zealand or Australia, the flat white coffee they each developed shares a common characteristic—extremely thin foam. This is also the most distinctive feature that sets flat whites apart from lattes and cappuccinos.

FrontStreet Coffee previously shared that different foam thicknesses bring different textures to coffee, because varying thicknesses change the amount of coffee liquid we consume in one sip, while also affecting the mouthfeel (for details, you can refer to FrontStreet Coffee's previous articles, so we won't elaborate further here). Since flat whites "feature" very thin foam, even with a small sip, we can easily taste the coffee liquid hidden beneath the foam. This gives the coffee a velvety, silky texture.

The Challenge of Latte Art on Flat Whites

However, thin foam presents an operational challenge—it's difficult to create latte art. Besides changing the texture of coffee, foam thickness also affects the difficulty of latte art, as foam thickness determines the fluidity during latte art creation. When foam is thicker, the fluidity during latte art is lower; when foam is thinner, the fluidity is higher. Both overly thick and overly thin foam are unsuitable for latte art—the former because low fluidity prevents the creation of complex, exquisite patterns, while the latter because high fluidity greatly tests the barista's latte art skills. If latte art proficiency isn't high enough, excessive fluidity can easily cause patterns to shift or deform during the "drawing" process.

That's why lattes are the most suitable milk coffee for creating latte art, as their foam thickness is moderate—not only capable of producing delicate, complex patterns but also maintaining low fluidity, making them easy to control. (Thin foam easily produces "serrated pattern" designs.)

The foam thickness of flat whites is only 0.3cm-0.5cm. With such thin foam, creating patterns is, as FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, very prone to mistakes. Therefore, some coffee shops might choose not to add latte art to flat whites to reduce the risk of mistakes. Of course, this reason accounts for a very small percentage, as latte art isn't particularly difficult—with a few days of repeated practice, one can create exquisite patterns using extremely thin foam.

Many coffee shops don't add latte art to flat whites more to shorten preparation time or to focus consumers' attention on the coffee itself. When the visually distracting latte art patterns are removed, consumers can better focus on the taste of the coffee itself.

Conclusion

In summary! Whether a coffee shop adds latte art to their flat white depends on multiple factors, directly related to the shop's positioning and the barista's understanding. But regardless of whether there's latte art or not, the ultimate goal is to provide consumers with a better experience. So as long as the coffee tastes good, whether there's latte art or not doesn't really matter, since the presence or absence of latte art doesn't affect whether a cup of coffee is delicious.

Unless, of course, you're ordering coffee specifically for taking photos and checking in online—in that case, it's essential to communicate with the barista before placing your order to prevent the flat white from differing from your expectations~

Important Notice :

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