What is a flat white?

A flat white is an espresso based drink made with two shots of espresso and around 4oz / 120ml of steamed milk. Crucially, the milk in a flat white is steamed but not frothy — giving it a silky texture and its name.

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A graphic of a 6oz coffee cup containing two shots of espresso, 110ml of steamed milk, and 10ml of foamed milk.

Flat white origins

The flat white has contentious origins. Its name is descriptive — it is a white coffee with less foam. So there are plenty of references to flat white coffees being served, even as far back as the 1960s.

The modern idea of a flat white coffee almost certainly comes from either Australia or New Zealand — with both nations making a claim.

By the 1990s the flat white was popular all over Australia and New Zealand — and by 2010s the flat white was widely available all over the world.

How did this happen? We're not entirely sure. But this is the likely explanation:

Over time coffee consumers grew tired of drinking a heap of flavourless foam with a strong shot of coffee hiding underneath. So it became normal to ask for the coffee to be flat — with milk but no foam. The milk still needed to be hot, so baristas would steam the milk, just not enough to make it frothy.

In the 1980s New Zealand and Australia had a stronger coffee culture than other Western nations and consumers demanded higher standards from cafes — so it became typical to order a flat white.

Coffee drinkers in the UK and the USA caught up with their oceanic counterparts and began searching for better coffee. There was an opening in the market and Australian and Kiwi baristas willing to take advantage of it.

Adopting the flat white took a little curiosity and caring about your customers. It was also very easy to make — so it only took one customer asking for it to spread the word.

Flat whites quickly became synonymous with good coffee — and since a coffee shop selling a flat white must be a good coffee shop everyone started doing it.

Flat whites reached critical adoption in 2015 when Starbucks, the worst coffee shop, added them to their core menu — and so a flat white is no longer a clear sign the coffee is going to be any good.

Flat white ingredients

Flat whites are made from two shots of espresso and `4oz` of steamed milk or alternative milk, like oat or soy.

A large or small flat white is not longer a flat white – a typical cafe menu will show different sizes for other drinks, but only one size for a flat white.

How to make a flat white

The instructions for making a flat white are very simple – but making one is a lot harder. People train as Baristas to get this right.

  1. Pull two shots of espresso into a 6oz / 180ml coffee cup.
  2. Steam the milk until it has a silky texture – be careful not to make it overly frothy.
  3. Pour the milk over the espresso – where possible do some latte art of a leaf or a heart.
  4. Serve to a hipster with a curly moustache.