A flat white is an espresso coffee with a similar proportion of coffee to milk as a caffè latte and a cappuccino, the main difference being the texture of the milk and (in some regions) the number of espresso shots.
The drink originated in Australia and New Zealand in the late 1970s as alternative to the frothier cappuccino. It has since spread to the UK, where it first began to be served by independent cafes in London like Department of Coffee and Social affairs and Speak Easy, Where Owners and staff are from New Zealand bring the style of coffee into the UK before being adopted by chains Costa and Starbucks. It is rarely found in continental Europe or the United States.
In New Zealand it is traditionally made with two shots of espresso topped with stretched and texturised milk. The milk is prepared by steaming air into the milk and folding the top layer into the lower layers. To achieve the "flat", non-frothy texture the steamed milk is poured from the bottom of the jug, holding back the lighter froth on the top in order to access milk with smaller bubbles, making the drink smooth and velvety in texture. This leads to a white coffee with the crema on top still intact. The drink was traditionally served in a ceramic cup used for cappuccinos (approximately 220-260ml in capacity), though present-day speciality cafes are more likely to serve it in smaller (150-160ml) cups with two Ristretto shots used, resulting in a drink noticeably stronger and less milky than a caffè latte.
Outside of New Zealand, the milk is prepared in a manner more similar to that of a caffè latte; the milk is stretched and texturised but is poured freely rather than the froth being held back with a spoon or knife. This results in a thicker density of milk with more froth.
In Australia the drink more closely resembles a caffè latte as it tends to be served with a single shot of coffee, resulting in a weaker and milkier drink.
In the United Kingdom the drink has a similar strength to the New Zealand version. It is made in a small cup (150-160ml), contains two espresso (often ristretto) shots, and is often finished with latte art. The skill needed in preparing ristretto shots and latte art means that it is viewed as somewhat of a speciality product in the UK.
Read more about this topic: List Of Coffee Beverages
Famous quotes containing the words flat and/or white:
“Man is a wingless animal with two feet and flat nails.”
—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
“Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which people our life, which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash.”
—Louis Aragon (1897–1982)