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The Flat White is characterized by its strong taste and particularly creamy milk foam. Preparing the coffee specialty requires a little practice.
The Flat White is now an essential part of the menu of every hip café. Known here as a trendy coffee specialty, the caffeinated drink has long been established in Australia and New Zealand. At first glance, the specialty coffee resembles a cappuccino, but there are some differences between the two drinks that make the Flat White a rather sophisticated coffee that requires patience and practice to prepare.
Flat White doesn’t have a foamy head
The Flat White comes from Oceania. It is not clear where exactly it came from: both the Australians and the New Zealanders claim its invention as their own. After the Second World War, many Italians and English emigrated to Australia, each bringing their coffee and tea culture with them. Like the specialist portal Coffee Circle reported, this was expressed in many small cafés where different coffee specialties were served. Since the English were less familiar with making cappuccinos, they used the edge of the cup as a guide and had the coffee drink sealed with the vessel. In complete contrast to cappuccino, which is characterized by a towering head of foam.
The characteristics of the Flat White: Double espresso and a flat surface. (Symbolic image) © Pond5 Images/Imago
In New Zealand, however, the story goes that the froth didn’t come about because low-fat milk was used for the cappuccino. Due to its low fat content, it foamed less. The cafes apologized, this is what it says Roast Market Magazine, by calling the drink a “flat white.” Aside from the milk foam, the biggest difference between Flat White and Cappuccino is the amount of coffee. The Italian classic is prepared with one espresso, the Flat White with two espressos. According to that Coffee Atlas The trendy drink is therefore characterized by a particularly intense taste.
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The most important component, however, is the milk foam, which is loud in the Flat White Roast Market should be a “particularly fine-pored milk foam cream”. With a flat white, unlike a cappuccino – which ends with a solid foam cap – the milk is only slightly aerated. This means that the milk foam reaches an almost liquid consistency and can combine well with the espresso, explains Coffee Circle. That’s exactly what the art is about. It takes practice to whip the milk into a silky, fine foam. Preparation is best achieved with the nozzle of a portafilter machine, explained Roast Market.
Ingredients and preparation for the perfect flat white
The Flat White recipe only requires two ingredients:
- A double espresso
- 100-120 ml milk
Loud is best Coffee Circle Whole milk. But plant-based alternatives are also possible. However, you should always use barista variants and cool the milk, whether plant-based or animal-based. The portal has further tips for the perfect foam Eat Smarter on:
- Fill the milk jug about a third full with milk.
- Hold the jug upright and so that the nozzle is just below the surface of the milk.
- When foaming, the temperature should not exceed 65 degrees Celsius. The milk should be heated until the jug becomes too hot to touch.
- After foaming, circular movements or tapping the jug on the table help to get rid of individual bubbles.
If you don’t have a portafilter machine or a milk frother, you can also prepare the milk foam in the microwave. Loud Coffee Circle Coffee crafts became increasingly important in the 1980s, with latte art also becoming increasingly popular.
What this woman does with her coffee is what you want too!
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Since then, many foam surfaces have been embellished using professional pouring techniques. Thanks to the creamy foam, the Flat White is particularly suitable for leaving flowers, hearts or other works of art on the coffee, reports the portal Eat Smarter. According to that Coffee Atlas It was business travelers from Australia and New Zealand who made the Flat White famous in Europe and North America. In 2011, the name of the coffee specialty was finally included in the well-known Oxford Dictionary.
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