Flat white

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. 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. 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 (200 ml) to the glass in which a latte is served, but the flat white usually has less milk and microfoam. According to New Zealand tourism, flat whites are more commonly served in a smaller cup (175 ml). 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.

"A true flat white ought to have the same quantity of extracted coffee as any other beverage on the coffee menu (generally 30 ml) but because it is served in a smaller vessel (175 ml) it has stronger flavour than say a latte which is normally served in a 225 ml 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."

Origins and history
Some commentators trace the flat white to Australia and New Zealand during the 1980s. 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". Another Sydney newspaper article in April 1984 satirised a vogue for caffè latte, stating that: "cafe latte translates as flat white." At Moors Espresso Bar in Sydney, Alan Preston added the beverage to his permanent menu in 1985. 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. 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.

However, the origins of the flat white are contentious, with New Zealand also claiming its invention. 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. 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 150 - 160 ml cup. 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. 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. Starbucks debuted the flat white in American stores on 6 January 2015. 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.