flat white

{{Infobox food

| name = Flat white

| image = Flat white coffee with pretty feather pattern.jpg

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| caption = A flat white with latte art

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| main_ingredient = Espresso, steamed milk

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}}

A flat white is a coffee drink consisting of espresso and steamed milk. It generally has a higher proportion of espresso to milk than a caffè latte, and lacks the thick layer of foam in a cappuccino. While the origin of the flat white is unclear, café owners in both Australia and New Zealand claim its invention.

Description

Anette Moldvaer states that a flat white consists of a double espresso (50 ml/1.5 fl oz) and about 130 ml (4 fl oz) of steamed milk with a 5 mm (0.25 inch) layer of microfoam.{{Cite book |last=Moldvaer |first=Anette |title=The Coffee Book |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |year=2021 |isbn=9780241536940 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages=403–04}} According to a survey of industry commentators, a flat white is a shorter drink with a thin layer of microfoam (hence the 'flat' in flat white), as opposed to the thick layer of foam on the top of a cappuccino.{{Cite web|title=What is a flat white? – Coffee Hunter|date=11 February 2012 |url=https://www.peterjthomson.com/coffee/what-is-a-flat-white/|access-date=2013-02-10|archive-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413072345/https://www.peterjthomson.com/coffee/what-is-a-flat-white/|url-status=live}} The beverage usually features a pattern (latte art) on the surface.

The way a flat white is made varies between regions and cafés. In Australia a flat white is usually served in a ceramic cup with a handle, often of a similar volume ({{convert|200|ml|impfloz|abbr=on|disp=comma}}) to the glass in which a latte is served, but the flat white usually has less milk and microfoam.{{Cite news |last=Carmody |first=Kathleen |date=20 April 2004 |title=Coffee culture |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/19/1082326139253.html |access-date=2010-04-07 |archive-date=1 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601221848/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/19/1082326139253.html |url-status=live }} According to New Zealand tourism, flat whites are more commonly served in a smaller cup ({{convert|175|ml|impfloz|abbr=on|disp=comma}}). 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 amount of microfoam produced when the milk is heated.{{cite web |title=New Zealand's dedicated coffee culture |url=http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/food-%26-wine/food%26wine_new-zealands-coffee-scene_feature.cfm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505044606/http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/food-%26-wine/food%26wine_new-zealands-coffee-scene_feature.cfm |archive-date=5 May 2013 |access-date=29 January 2013 |publisher=Tourism New Zealand}}

{{blockquote|A true flat white ought to have the same quantity of extracted coffee as any other beverage on the coffee menu (generally {{convert|30|ml|impfloz|abbr=on|disp=comma}}) but because it is served in a smaller vessel ({{convert|175|ml|impfloz|abbr=on|disp=comma}}) it has stronger flavour than say a latte which is normally served in a {{convert|225|ml|impfloz|abbr=on}} 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 layer of the textured milk, ideally with a shinier surface.|Tourism New Zealand{{cite web |title=New Zealand's dedicated coffee culture |url=http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/food-%26-wine/food%26wine_new-zealands-coffee-scene_feature.cfm |publisher=Tourism New Zealand |access-date=29 January 2013 |archive-date=5 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505044606/http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/food-%26-wine/food%26wine_new-zealands-coffee-scene_feature.cfm |url-status=live }}}}

Origins and history

Some commentators trace the flat white to Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s.{{Cite news |title=Flat whites are Australia's greatest culinary export |url=https://www.economist.com/culture/2024/04/11/flat-whites-are-australias-greatest-culinary-export |access-date=2024-04-16 |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}} Coffee historian Ian Bersten states that while the origin of the flat white is unclear, the drink probably originated in England in the 1950s.

There is documentary evidence of coffee drinks named "flat white" being served in Australia in the early 1980s. A review of the Sydney café Miller's Treat in May 1983 refers to their "flat white coffee"."Miller's Treat," café review, Liz Doyle and Brett Wright, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 1983 Another Sydney newspaper article in April 1984 satirised a vogue for caffè latte, stating that: "cafe latte translates as flat white.""It's time to dare to be the same," Jenny Tabakoff, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 April 1984 At Moors Espresso Bar in Sydney, Alan Preston added the beverage to his permanent menu in 1985.{{cite news |last1=Robertson |first1=James |date=27 September 2015 |title=Australia and New Zealand culinary war in new front over flat white inventor |url=https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/australia-and-new-zealand-culinary-war-in-new-front-over-flat-white-inventor-20150926-gjvjkz.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928011348/http://www.goodfood.com.au/good-food/drink/australia-and-new-zealand-culinary-war-in-new-front-over-flat-white-inventor-20150926-gjvjkz.html |archive-date=28 September 2015 |access-date= |work=Sydney Morning Herald}}{{Cite web|title = Australian food history timeline-Birth of the Flat White|url = http://meandmybigmouth.com.au/birth-of-flat-white/|website = Australian food history timeline|access-date = 2016-02-09|language = en-US|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160204200458/http://meandmybigmouth.com.au/birth-of-flat-white/|archive-date = 4 February 2016|url-status = dead}} Preston claimed he had imported the idea to Sydney from his native far north Queensland. According to historian Dr Garritt Van Dyk, many wealthy Italian cane plantation owners in the area came to enjoy "white coffee: flat" in the cafés' of the 1960s to 1970s, with Preston's café popularising the drink in the southern states.{{Cite news |last1=Dent |first1=Nick |last2=Calligeros |first2=Marissa |date=2024-05-14 |title=Inner-city latte sippers? Think again. What's your suburb's most popular coffee? |url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/inner-city-latte-sippers-think-again-what-s-your-suburb-s-most-popular-coffee-20240425-p5fmme.html |url-access=subscription |access-date= |website=Brisbane Times |publisher=Nine Entertainment |language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Pearlman|first=Jonathan|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11895654/Who-invented-the-flat-white-Row-breaks-out-between-Australian-and-New-Zealand-cafe-owners.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11895654/Who-invented-the-flat-white-Row-breaks-out-between-Australian-and-New-Zealand-cafe-owners.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Who invented the flat white? Row breaks out between Australian and New Zealand cafe owners|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=2015-09-28|access-date=2020-02-14|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}} Other documented references include the Parliament House cafeteria in Canberra putting up a sign in January 1985 saying "flat white only" during a seasonal problem with milk cows that prevented the milk froth from forming.{{cite news|last1=Green|first1=Roger|title=Cows Frustrate ACT's Espresso Artists|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article122477677|access-date=26 September 2015|work=The Canberra Times|date=11 January 1985}}"How Canberra lost its froth," Milton Cockburn, Sydney Morning Herald, 10 January 1985

However, the origins of the flat white are contentious, with New Zealand also claiming its invention.{{cite news|last = Hunt|first = Tom|title = Kiwi claims flat white invention|url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/64886421/Kiwi-claims-flat-white-invention|access-date = 17 April 2015|newspaper = The Dominion Post|date = 13 January 2015|archive-date = 4 July 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150704075959/http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/64886421/Kiwi-claims-flat-white-invention|url-status = live}} One New Zealand claim originates in Auckland, by Derek Townsend and Darrell Ahlers of Cafe DKD, as an alternative to the Italian latte; they recalled learning of the name "flat white" from a friend who had worked in cafes in Sydney.{{cite news |last=Dixon |first=Greg |date=22 July 2008 |title=The birth of the cool |newspaper=The New Zealand Herald |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10522700 |access-date=29 January 2013 |archive-date=25 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025002921/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10522700 |url-status=live }}{{cite news|last = Macdonald|first = Laura|title = Baristas battle to claim flat white as their own|url = http://www.3news.co.nz/world/baristas-battle-to-claim-flat-white-as-their-own-2015011318|access-date = 17 April 2015|newspaper = The New Zealand Herald|date = 13 January 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150416150438/http://www.3news.co.nz/world/baristas-battle-to-claim-flat-white-as-their-own-2015011318|archive-date = 16 April 2015|url-status = dead}} A second New Zealand claim originates from Wellington as a result of a "failed cappuccino" at Bar Bodega on Willis St in 1989. Craig Miller, author of Coffee Houses of Wellington 1939 to 1979, claims to have prepared a drink known as a flat white in Auckland in the mid-1980s, using a recipe from Australia.

Similar beverages

The flat white is similar to a cappuccino, which is a single espresso with heated milk and a layer of thick foam served in a {{convert|150|-|160|ml|impfloz|abbr=on}} cup.{{Cite web |title=L'Espresso Italiano e il Cappuccino Italiano Certificati |url=http://espressoitaliano.org/doc/istituzionale_inei_lq_ita.pdf |publisher=Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano |access-date=2012-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116071701/http://espressoitaliano.org/doc/istituzionale_inei_lq_ita.pdf |archive-date=16 January 2013}} The flat white, however, does not have the thick layer of foam, but rather made with only steamed milk containing microfoam.

The flat white is similar to a caffè latte, which is espresso with steamed milk added, served in a glass. A flat white has less milk and less microfoam than a latte.

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.{{cite news|last=Wallop|first=Harry|title=Starbucks to sell 'flat white' for those who are fed up with milky coffee|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/6726711/Starbucks-to-sell-flat-white-for-those-fed-up-with-milky-coffee.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/6726711/Starbucks-to-sell-flat-white-for-those-fed-up-with-milky-coffee.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=29 January 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=5 December 2009}}{{cbignore}} 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.{{cite news|last1=Jumpertz|first1=Caroline|title=New Yorkers finally warm to the humble Aussie flat white|url= https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/food-drink/new-yorkers-finally-warm-to-the-humble-aussie-flat-white/news-story/0523d71e63b55027b977f225b4b48cb6|access-date=13 December 2023|work=The Australian|date=5 August 2013}} Starbucks debuted the flat white in American stores on 6 January 2015.{{cite news|last=Frizell|first=Sam|title=Hipster Drink of Choice Gets Co-Opted by Starbucks|url=https://time.com/3652676/starbucks-flat-white/|access-date=3 January 2015|newspaper=Time|date=2 January 2015|archive-date=3 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103002625/http://time.com/3652676/starbucks-flat-white/|url-status=live}} In 2024, the Economist reported that one in three consumers in the UK chose a flat white, with Pret a Manger selling eight million flat whites in the past year, nearly matching the nine million cappuccinos sold. The popularity of the beverage is also increasing in the United States.

Related terms

In the UK, the phrase flat white economy has been used to describe London's network of internet, media and creative businesses.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/08/can-hipsters-save-the-world |title=Can hipsters save the world? |work=The Guardian |date=8 March 2015 |first=Ed |last=Cumming |access-date=14 December 2016 |archive-date=15 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215002439/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/08/can-hipsters-save-the-world |url-status=live }}{{cite news|title=Brexit could harm growth of 'flat white economy', report warns|url=https://business-reporter.co.uk/2017/04/05/brexit-harm-growth-flat-white-economy-report-warns/|access-date=8 April 2018|work=Business Reporter|date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405191737/https://business-reporter.co.uk/2017/04/05/brexit-harm-growth-flat-white-economy-report-warns/|archive-date=2017-04-05}}

flat white

Description

Origins and history

Similar beverages

Outside Australia and New Zealand

Related terms

See also

References

Further reading