Espresso
Flat white
A double ristretto under 130 ml of microfoam. Smaller, stronger and flatter than a latte, and the milk texture is the whole job.
At a glance
- Total
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Yield
- 1 cup
- Ratio
- 1:1.6
- Dose
- 20 g
- In cup
- 32 g
In the cup
- Microfoam10%
- Steamed milk60%
- Crema5%
- Ristretto25%
Equipment
- Espresso machine with steam wand
- Milk jug, 350 ml
- Tulip cup, 160 ml
- Scales
Ingredients
- Coffee, medium roast
- 20 g
- Whole milk, cold
- 110 ml
Method
Pull a double ristretto: 20 g in, 32 g out, 28 seconds.
28sSteam the milk with two seconds of air only. Aim for a glossy, paint-like texture with no visible bubbles.
2sHeat to 60 °C while spinning the jug to fold the foam through the milk.
20sPour from height, then drop close and push through to finish the pattern.
Less air than you think
The difference between a flat white and a cappuccino is not the cup. It is that a flat white gets roughly two seconds of aeration and a cappuccino gets four. At that texture the milk pours like wet paint, which is also what makes latte art possible.
Why the base is a ristretto
Stopping a 20 g dose at 32 g out keeps the sweet, syrupy front of the shot and leaves the thin, drying tail behind. In a black drink you might miss the length. Under 110 ml of milk you do not: what survives is body and sweetness, which is why a flat white tastes concentrated rather than simply strong.
That also means the grind has to move. A ristretto stopped early on a normal espresso grind runs fast and sour, so go a step finer and keep the time at around 28 seconds.
Pour it now, not in a minute
Textured milk has a shelf life of about twenty seconds. After that the foam starts to climb and the liquid underneath thins out, and no amount of swirling brings it back. Tap the jug once, swirl until the surface is glossy, and pour: high to break through the crema, then close to the surface to let the pattern sit on top. A flat white that pours as a pale blob was made a minute too late, not poured badly.
Questions about this recipe
- What is the difference between a flat white and a latte?
- Volume and texture. A flat white is about 160 ml with roughly 110 ml of milk and a thin layer of microfoam, so the coffee stays in front. A latte is 240 ml or more with a looser, airier milk, which pushes the espresso into the background.
- Does a flat white have to be made with a ristretto?
- No, but that is the Antipodean original and the reason the drink tastes concentrated rather than strong. A 20 g dose stopped at 32 g keeps the sweet early part of the shot and leaves the thin, bitter tail in the basket, which is what stands up to 110 ml of milk.
- Why can I not get latte art on my flat white?
- Almost always texture, not pouring. Two seconds of air, taken while the milk is cold, gives milk that pours like wet paint; any longer and the foam sits on top and drops as a blob. Swirl until the surface is glossy with no visible bubbles, and pour within about twenty seconds of finishing the steam.