Flat white explained

Flat white
Type:Beverage
Main Ingredient:Espresso and steamed milk

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, various café owners in 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.[1] 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.[2] The beverage usually features a pattern (latte art) on the surface.

The way a flat white is made, however, 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 (200abbr=onNaNabbr=on) to the glass in which a latte is served, but the flat white usually has less milk and microfoam.[3] According to New Zealand tourism, flat whites are more commonly served in a smaller cup (175abbr=onNaNabbr=on). 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.[4]

Origins and history

Some commentators trace the flat white to Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s.[5] 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".[6] Another Sydney newspaper article in April 1984 satirised a vogue for caffè latte, stating that: "cafe latte translates as flat white."[7] At Moors Espresso Bar in Sydney, Alan Preston added the beverage to his permanent menu in 1985.[8] [9] 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.[10] [11] 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.[12] [13]

However, the origins of the flat white are contentious, with New Zealand also claiming its invention.[14] [8] 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.[15] [16] A second New Zealand claim originates from Wellington as a result of a "failed cappuccino" at Bar Bodega on Willis St in 1989.[14] 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.[14]

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 150- cup.[17] 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.[18] 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.[19] Starbucks debuted the flat white in American stores on 6 January 2015.[20] 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.[21] [22]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Moldvaer, Anette . The Coffee Book . Dorling Kindersley . 2021 . 9780241536940 . 2nd . London . 403–04.
  2. Web site: What is a flat white? – Coffee Hunter. 11 February 2012 . 2013-02-10. 13 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170413072345/https://www.peterjthomson.com/coffee/what-is-a-flat-white/. live.
  3. News: Carmody . Kathleen . 20 April 2004 . Coffee culture . The Sydney Morning Herald . 2010-04-07 . 1 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090601221848/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/19/1082326139253.html . live .
  4. Web site: New Zealand's dedicated coffee culture . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20130505044606/http://www.newzealand.com/travel/media/features/food-%26-wine/food%26wine_new-zealands-coffee-scene_feature.cfm . 5 May 2013 . 29 January 2013 . Tourism New Zealand.
  5. News: Flat whites are Australia’s greatest culinary export . 2024-04-16 . The Economist . 0013-0613.
  6. "Miller's Treat," café review, Liz Doyle and Brett Wright, Sydney Morning Herald, 6 May 1983
  7. "It's time to dare to be the same," Jenny Tabakoff, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 April 1984
  8. News: Robertson . James . 27 September 2015 . Australia and New Zealand culinary war in new front over flat white inventor . live . 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 . 28 September 2015 . Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. Web site: Australian food history timeline-Birth of the Flat White. Australian food history timeline. 2016-02-09. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20160204200458/http://meandmybigmouth.com.au/birth-of-flat-white/. 4 February 2016. dead.
  10. News: Dent . Nick . Calligeros . Marissa . 2024-05-14 . Inner-city latte sippers? Think again. What’s your suburb’s most popular coffee? . subscription . . . en.
  11. News: Pearlman. Jonathan. Who invented the flat white? Row breaks out between Australian and New Zealand cafe owners. 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 . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. The Daily Telegraph. 2015-09-28. 2020-02-14. en-GB. 0307-1235.
  12. News: Green. Roger. Cows Frustrate ACT's Espresso Artists. 26 September 2015. The Canberra Times. 11 January 1985.
  13. "How Canberra lost its froth," Milton Cockburn, Sydney Morning Herald, 10 January 1985
  14. News: Hunt. Tom. Kiwi claims flat white invention. 17 April 2015. The Dominion Post. 13 January 2015. 4 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150704075959/http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/64886421/Kiwi-claims-flat-white-invention. live.
  15. News: Dixon . Greg . 22 July 2008 . The birth of the cool . The New Zealand Herald . 29 January 2013 . 25 October 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025002921/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10522700 . live .
  16. News: Macdonald. Laura. Baristas battle to claim flat white as their own. 17 April 2015. The New Zealand Herald. 13 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150416150438/http://www.3news.co.nz/world/baristas-battle-to-claim-flat-white-as-their-own-2015011318. 16 April 2015. dead.
  17. Web site: L'Espresso Italiano e il Cappuccino Italiano Certificati . Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano . 2012-08-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130116071701/http://espressoitaliano.org/doc/istituzionale_inei_lq_ita.pdf . 16 January 2013.
  18. News: Wallop. Harry. Starbucks to sell 'flat white' for those who are fed up with milky coffee. 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 . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. 29 January 2013. The Telegraph. 5 December 2009.
  19. News: Jumpertz. Caroline. New Yorkers finally warm to the humble Aussie flat white. 13 December 2023. The Australian. 5 August 2013.
  20. News: Frizell. Sam. Hipster Drink of Choice Gets Co-Opted by Starbucks. 3 January 2015. Time. 2 January 2015. 3 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150103002625/http://time.com/3652676/starbucks-flat-white/. live.
  21. News: Can hipsters save the world? . . 8 March 2015 . Ed . Cumming . 14 December 2016 . 15 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170215002439/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/08/can-hipsters-save-the-world . live .
  22. News: Brexit could harm growth of 'flat white economy', report warns. 8 April 2018. Business Reporter. 5 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170405191737/https://business-reporter.co.uk/2017/04/05/brexit-harm-growth-flat-white-economy-report-warns/. 2017-04-05.

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