What Is a Flat White? (And How It Differs from a Latte and Cappuccino)
The flat white appeared on UK café menus in significant numbers from around 2010 to 2012, introduced primarily by Australian and New Zealand specialty coffee shops (Flat White in Soho, Lantana in Fitzrovia, Kaffeine in Fitzrovia) that opened in London and brought southern hemisphere coffee culture with them. By 2015, Starbucks had added the flat white to its UK menu, and by 2020 it was the third most ordered coffee drink in the UK behind the latte and cappuccino. The defining characteristics are small volume (approximately 150ml), high espresso-to-milk ratio, and velvet-fine microfoam rather than the thick foam layer of a cappuccino.
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View on Amazon →The Three Drinks Compared
| Drink | Espresso base | Total volume | Milk texture | Coffee intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat white | Double ristretto (30 to 36ml) | 150 to 160ml | Very fine microfoam, almost no visible foam layer | Strong |
| Latte | Double espresso (40 to 60ml) | 220 to 300ml | Fine microfoam; 5 to 10mm foam layer on surface | Mild to medium |
| Cappuccino | Double espresso (40 to 60ml) | 150 to 190ml | Thick foam, approximately equal parts espresso, steamed milk, and foam | Medium to strong |
| Cortado | Double espresso (40 to 60ml) | 80 to 100ml | Minimal microfoam; small volume of steamed milk | Very strong |
| Macchiato (latte macchiato) | Double espresso | 120 to 150ml | Small amount of foam "staining" the espresso | Strong |
The Ristretto Distinction
A ristretto (Italian: "restricted") is a shorter espresso pull: the same amount of coffee (18 to 20 grams) extracted with less water to produce approximately 18 to 22ml per shot versus 36 to 40ml for a standard espresso. The ristretto extracts more of the sweeter, fruit acid compounds from the coffee and less of the bitter, dry compounds extracted in the later stages of a standard pull. The result is a sweeter, more concentrated shot with a lower total volume.
Using a double ristretto as the flat white base (producing approximately 36 to 44ml total) means the coffee component is concentrated relative to the milk even in a small 150ml drink. The espresso-to-milk ratio in a flat white is approximately 1:3 (by volume); in a latte it is approximately 1:5 to 1:6. The higher ratio makes the flat white more sensitive to the quality of the espresso: a mediocre espresso in a latte is masked by milk dilution; in a flat white it is more apparent.
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View on Amazon →Where Did the Flat White Come From?
The origin of the flat white is contested between Australia and New Zealand, both of which claim invention. The earliest documented use of the term appears in Australian cafés in the 1980s. The New Zealand claim (associated with the Wellington café scene of the 1980s and 1990s) centres on the drink's fine microfoam texture, which became central to the style of flat white associated with New Zealand's specialty café culture. The practical distinction from the Australian café tradition of "a small latte with less foam" is real but has been magnified by national competitive interest in the claim.
The flat white's spread to the UK occurred in two phases: independently operated specialty coffee shops (2009 to 2013) brought the format as part of a broader specialty coffee wave, followed by Starbucks UK (2010) and Costa UK (2012) adding it to mass-market menus. The Starbucks flat white uses a "Ristretto" espresso base and a smaller cup than their standard latte, making it relatively faithful to the original concept compared to the way other drinks have been scaled up for mass-market servings.
How to Make a Flat White at Home
Requirements: an espresso machine with a steam wand, whole milk (full-fat steams best), and freshly ground coffee. The method:
- Grind 18 to 20 grams of coffee slightly finer than your standard espresso grind. Extract a double ristretto by running the extraction for approximately 20 to 22 seconds (shorter than a standard double espresso's 25 to 30 seconds), targeting a yield of approximately 30 to 36ml total volume.
- Steam approximately 150 to 160ml of whole milk (the final volume of the drink will be around 150ml, including the espresso). Steam to a final temperature of 60 to 65°C, incorporating less air than for a cappuccino (only 2 to 3 seconds of "stretching" phase with the steam tip near the surface before submerging for the texturing vortex phase). The milk should be silky and fluid, not thick and foamy.
- Pour the steamed milk into the espresso, holding back any excess foam with a spoon if necessary. The drink should have an almost flat surface of fine microfoam with no visible foam layer above the milk level.
Related: How to Make Latte Art at Home: Beginner's Guide | Espresso Extraction Guide: Ristretto, Lungo, and Normale Explained
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