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Permalink Reply by Alun Evans on October 25, 2008 at 6:34pm

Its a Kiwi invention (sshhhh....dont tell the Aussies I said that). Best is a double shot into a 180ml cup. Steam the milk to have soft foam, scoop off any excess foam from the jug). You want a very thin layer of foam on top. Should look something like this:

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Permalink Reply by graeme finegan on October 26, 2008 at 5:47pm

Actuall this discussion is very relevant to me, had a couple in my cafe today from Oz and i offered them a flat white, they were amazied i knew about it! However i followed a different method, hhowever in hindsight i believe i was wrong, Maybe it would be good to compile a truely international coffee menu which coffee shops can tailor towards tourist etc!

Thanks a mill now i know how to make a flat white!

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Permalink Reply by Alun Evans on October 26, 2008 at 10:20pm

I guess I can see people asking here isnt a latte and a flatwhite the same. The difference is that a flatwhite has even less foam on top than a latte..around 2-3mm would be perfect I would guess. An Aussie Barista, David Gee, put it this way in a recent interview with "Timeout" Magazine- "Aussies like good value. If they see a lot of froth, like in a latte, they feel like they are being ripped off"! Its not what us Kiwis tink, we just like the taste I guess (being a big dairying country and all)

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Perrine on September 17, 2010 at 6:08am

So, here is where I'm confused on the method of production of a flat white:
My business partners says you bury the steam wand to reduce amount of foam
I say that tastes horrible and that the milk should be prepared the same way it should be for a latte but you just remove the foam. But how do you remove the foam?

The question is: Do you use a spoon while pouring to hold back the foam (disabling ability to produce art) or do you remove foam before you pour or do you bury the wand in the milk while steaming?

Alun Evans said:

I guess I can see people asking here isnt a latte and a flatwhite the same. The difference is that a flatwhite has even less foam on top than a latte..around 2-3mm would be perfect I would guess. An Aussie Barista, David Gee, put it this way in a recent interview with "Timeout" Magazine- "Aussies like good value. If they see a lot of froth, like in a latte, they feel like they are being ripped off"! Its not what us Kiwis tink, we just like the taste I guess (being a big dairying country and all)

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Permalink Reply by Shadow on September 17, 2010 at 7:16am

What I would do is add steamed milk with a very thin layer of foam, maybe 95% milk and 5% foam, not too dry on the foam either. I say "what I would do" as I've never had it ordered. For lattes I keep the ratio around 85/15 and most people love that. Find that many of our customers have never had textured milk that actually adds sweetness to their drink.

I use a spoon to hold the foam back in almost all instances. Except for cappuccino that is...

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Permalink Reply by Laura Campbell on October 21, 2010 at 7:27pm

When I pour a flat white commercially I spoon-pour, which we do for pretty much all our drinks for the sake of time, economy and consistency. While we can't do rosettas easily (we use bell jugs) for the latte art side of things we pour love hearts- which helps keep things consistent presentation wise across all the baristas who work at our shop. Some of the baristas I work with will make latte milk and scoop off the foam, but I prefer to leave that for emergency hiccups with the milk than make a habit of it.

If I'm pouring it at home, I free pour and practice my rosettas, but for flat white you have to make rather thin milk- which is difficult but possible to do well, it just takes a lot of practice. I basically hardly extend the milk at all, just enough to stop it screaming during heating. As soon as it has a bit of texture, I submerge the tip and keep it that way.

I've noticed a trend in the local boutique cafes here in Christchurch to focus more on latte art than texture when pouring flatties, which does annoy me when I get a mini-cappuccino instead of a flat white. And yes, I do feel ripped off by the foam! Flat whites in Christchurch are normally a double shot in a tulip cup, which means they're a small, strong milky coffee. Too much foam just ruins the whole thing- if you have latte milk it turns it into a cappuccino very quickly.

There are regional variations apparently, I have been told that up North (specifically Auckland) flat whites are in a larger (latte) cup with a single shot- making a large, milky coffee- larger and milkier than your average latte. My Auckland grandmother's face when she tasted her first Christchurch flat white was hilarious!

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Permalink Reply by Victoria Wilcox on October 31, 2010 at 4:01am

@ Alun Evans

Wonderful description ( even though I'm an Aussie!). Just thought I'd throw in a photo =)

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• flat white.jpg, 46 KB

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