With milk
Flat White
A small, strong milk coffee with a thin, glossy foam.
- Cup
- 150-200 ml
- Milk
- 100-130 ml
- Milk temp
- 55-65 °C
- Yield
- 36-50 g
A starting point - adjust to your beans.
The foam is what makes it. Aim for a thin glossy layer rather than a cap - if you can see distinct bubbles, you stretched too long.
Made differently elsewhere
Australia and New Zealand
Where the drink comes from it stays small and is often built on a double ristretto, which keeps it sweet and intense in very little milk.
- Cup
- 160-175 ml
- Yield
- 18-30 g
Europe and North America
Elsewhere it is usually a plain double espresso, and the large chains sell it in their normal cup sizes - which drops the whole point that it is meant to be a small drink.
- Cup
- 200-350 ml
- Yield
- 36-50 g
How to go about it
Pull a double shot into a small cup.
Steam the milk to a thin, wet-paint texture - stop stretching early, then spin it smooth.
Pour close to the surface so the foam layer stays around half a centimetre.
Where these numbers come from
Perfect Daily Grind, Anette Moldvaer, and Common café practice.