Flat white

A flat white with feather latte art

A flat white is a coffee drink consisting of espresso with microfoam (steamed milk with small, fine bubbles and a glossy or velvety consistency). It is similar to the caffè latte, but smaller in volume and with less microfoam, therefore having a higher proportion of coffee to milk, and milk that is more velvety in consistency – allowing the espresso to dominate the flavour, while being supported by the milk.

Description

A flat white is sometimes served in a ceramic 5 oz/140 ml vitrified cup with saucer. Milk is frothed as it would be for a latte but held back to around 20 mm/1 inch of microfoam, creating a meniscus. Key to the beverage is the crema being coaxed into the meniscus resulting in a uniform dark brown colour across the top of the beverage. Allowing the beverage to stand before drinking enhances the experience as the meniscus thickens and adds texture to each sip, resulting in distinct sip rings/tide marks as the beverage is consumed.[1] A flat white traditionally does not incorporate latte art.

According to a survey of industry commentators, a flat white has several defining characteristics, chief among which is a thin layer of velvety microfoam (hence the ‘flat’ in flat white), as opposed to the significantly thicker layer of foam in a traditional cappuccino.[2]

Origins

The earliest documented reference to the beverage dates back to Australia in the mid-1980s at Moors Espresso Bar in Sydney; Alan Preston added the beverage to his permanent menu in 1985.[3] Other documented references include cafes in Canberra putting up signs in 1985 saying "flat white only" during a seasonal problem with milk cows that prevented the milk froth from forming.[4][5]

However, the origins of the flat white are contentious with New Zealand also claiming its invention.[6][7] The New Zealand claim originates in Auckland, New Zealand by Derek Townsend and Darrell Ahlers of Cafe DKD, as an alternative to the Italian latte,[1][8] and a 2nd New Zealand claim originates from Wellington as a result of a "failed cappuccino" at Bar Bodega on Willis St in 1989.[6] Craig Miller, author of "Coffee Houses of Wellington 1939 to 1979", claims to have prepared a flat white in Auckland in the mid-1980s.[6]In the 1963 British film Danger By My Side a man walks into a London café and asks for a Flat White. That’s 17 years before it’s claimed ‘invention’ in Australia or New Zealand

Similar beverages

It is essentially the opposite of a "dry cappuccino", which has dry frothy foam but no liquid milk. A flat white has milk (or microfoam) but no froth. The milk should be velvety rather than fluffy and therefore stronger, which requires a shorter, ristretto espresso shot to avoid harsh flavours.[9] The flat white is similar to an original Italian cappuccino, which is a single espresso with microfoam served in a 150–160 ml (5.3–5.6 imp fl oz) cup.[10]

The Spanish café con leche is similar, but uses scalded milk. In a flat white, the milk is steamed without frothing typically to 70–80 °C (150–170 °F). Steaming the milk to this temperature retains the fats and proteins in the milk which retain a sweet flavour, lost when milk is steamed to scalding temperatures.[11] A café con leche also lacks the head of microfoam.

The flat white and the latte are also similar, with some people incorrectly suggesting that the only difference between the two drinks is the vessel in which they are presented. In Australia a flat white is served in a ceramic mug, usually of the same volume (200 ml, 7.0 imp fl oz) as a latte glass. However, some Australian cafés will top a latte with extra froth, while others may pour a flat white slightly shorter.[12] New Zealand flat whites are more commonly served in a tulip shaped cup (165 ml, 5.8 imp fl oz). In both Australia and New Zealand, there is a generally accepted difference between lattes and flat whites in the ratio of milk to coffee and the consistency of the milk due to the way the milk is heated.

A true flat white ought to have the same quantity of extracted coffee as any other beverage on the coffee menu (generally 30 ml, 1.1 imp fl oz) but because it is served in a smaller vessel (175 ml, 6.2 imp fl oz) it has stronger flavour than say a latte which is normally served in a 225 ml (7.9 imp fl oz) vessel and is subsequently milkier. The consistency of the milk is another point of difference between a flat white and a latte – a latte has a creamy, velvety layer of milk on the surface which can vary in depth depending on where you buy your coffee. A flat white has a thinner band of the textured milk, ideally with a shinier surface.

— Tourism New Zealand[13]

Outside Australia and New Zealand

The coffee style was exported to the United Kingdom by 2005, and by 2010 was being sold in Starbucks franchises there.[14] By 2013 the flat white was available in Australian cafés in New York City, with Hugh Jackman co-owning one of them and endorsing the product.[15] With the flat white becoming increasingly well known globally, very large coffee shop chains such as Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Caffè Nero and Pret a Manger added flat whites to their menus. Starbucks debuted the flat white in American stores on 6 January 2015.[16]

In the UK, the phrase flat white economy has been used to describe London's network of internet, media and creative businesses.[17][18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Dixon, Greg (22 July 2008). "The birth of the cool". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  2. ↑ "What is a flat white? – Coffee Hunter". Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  3. ↑ "Australian food history timeline-Birth of the Flat White". Australian food history timeline. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  4. ↑ Green, Roger (11 January 1985). "Cows Frustrate ACT's Espresso Artists". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Robertson, James (27 September 2015). "Australia and New Zealand culinary war in new front over flat white inventor". goodfood.com.au. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Hunt, Tom (13 January 2015). "Kiwi claims flat white invention". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  7. ↑ Robertson, James (27 September 2015). "Australia and New Zealand culinary war in new front over flat white inventor". goodfood.com.au. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  8. ↑ Macdonald, Laura (13 January 2015). "Baristas battle to claim flat white as their own". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  9. ↑ Symons, Michael. "Spilling the beans". Fairfax. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  10. ↑ "L'Espresso Italiano e il Cappuccino Italiano Certificati" (PDF). Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "Milk Frothing Guide – Hello Milk!". CoffeeGeek.com. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  12. ↑ Carmody, Kathleen (20 April 2004). "Coffee culture". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
  13. ↑ "New Zealand's dedicated coffee culture". Tourism New Zealand. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  14. ↑ Wallop, Harry (5 December 2009). "Starbucks to sell 'flat white' for those who are fed up with milky coffee". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  15. ↑ Jumpertz, Caroline (5 August 2013). "New Yorkers finally warm to the humble Aussie flat white". The Australian. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  16. ↑ Frizell, Sam (2 January 2015). "Hipster Drink of Choice Gets Co-Opted by Starbucks". Time. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  17. ↑ Can hipsters save the world" theguardian.com 2015/March/08
  18. ↑ "Brexit could harm growth of 'flat white economy', report warns". Business Reporter. The Daily Telegraph. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
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