Coffee flat white: the history and features of the "Australian" recipe

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world. Perhaps, in terms of the number of fans, only tea can be compared with it. Arabica and Robusta beans have been known to people for more than a thousand years, and it is only natural that hundreds of different ways of making coffee have been invented over such a long time.

Today, the classic and most famous recipes include espresso, cappuccino and latte. However, lovers of drinking coffee with milk are probably familiar with a variety called “flat white”. This is the name of a recipe similar to traditional, but in its own way original recipe. Flat white coffee, also known as "Australian", tastes like a cross between espresso and cappuccino.

Drink history

This recipe was invented relatively recently, in the 80s of the XX century. The authorship of flat white coffee is often attributed to New Zealand barista Derek Townsend. It was he who came up with a version in which, thanks to the addition of foamed milk, the bitterness of espresso does not disappear completely, but becomesmuch softer. At the same time, the drink still turns out to be stronger than a classic cappuccino.

Australian recipe is the result of a long and careful selection of the perfect ratio of espresso and milk. Perhaps that is why flat white immediately fell in love with coffee connoisseurs and soon gained popularity in the author's homeland, and then throughout the world. Today, a drink prepared according to this recipe is on the menu of many establishments.

As for the name, it is most often explained by cooking technologies. Milk, whipped into elastic foam, forms a smooth surface, thanks to which the recipe became known as “flat white”, i.e. “flat white”.

Composition

The quality of the beans from which the flat white (coffee) is made is of great importance for the taste characteristics of the drink. The composition of the mixture should ideally contain several varieties of Arabica. It is this species that combines a rich aroma and mild taste, while Robusta grains are distinguished by more pronounced bitterness and sourness. It is desirable that the mixture has a medium degree of roasting and fine grinding.

Coffee shops often experiment with a recipe by increasing either the espresso content or the amount of milk. But there is also the most popular ratio of ingredients. Flat white - coffee, which is most often prepared on the basis of one serving of doppio (double espresso with a standard volume of 60 ml) and 120 ml of foamed milk.

Differences between flat white and latte and cappuccino

It may seem that flat white is not much different from goodwell-known cappuccino and latte. Moreover, the latter is often served in establishments under the guise of "Australian" coffee. These drinks are really similar, mainly due to the presence of milk foam in the recipe, but the latte has a lower strength. In addition, their appearance and delivery method differ.

Flat white is coffee traditionally brewed in a thick-walled porcelain cup. This allows you not to confuse it with a latte, which is usually served in an Irish glass glass. Also, flat white is distinguished by the presence of snow-white foam, while in the same cappuccino the surface most often has a light brown tint. There is another characteristic feature - the volume of whipped milk. The foam layer in flat white coffee is much thinner than in latte, its height is no more than a centimeter.

Cooking Features

Experienced baristas willingly share the secrets of the perfect flat white (coffee). The recipe for its preparation is quite simple. The main thing is the excellent quality of the ingredients used, their correct ratio and the observance of several subtleties in the process.

First of all, attention should be paid to the properties of milk foam. It should be sufficiently dense, finely porous, elastic, with a smooth and glossy surface. To obtain foam with such a consistency, it is recommended to whip milk at a temperature of 65-70 ° C, but do not boil it. This is a very important condition, because in order for the taste of the drink to be fully revealed, it should not be too hot when served.

Qualitythe resulting coffee perfectly characterizes the professional skills of the barista. It takes a lot of experience to get a perfectly dense and velvety foam, and before serving, decorate it with skillful latte art.

Recipe

You can enjoy a perfectly balanced taste of the drink in any good coffee shop. However, if you have special equipment at home, this recipe can be mastered on your own. To make a flat white you will need:

• blend of several varieties of finely ground Arabica coffee;
• purified water;
• medium fat milk.

The basis of the drink can be made not only in a special machine, but also in a coffee maker with an espresso mode. For one serving of flat white, you need 2 tablespoons of the mixture. Once the doppio is done, pour it into a thick-walled china mug.

Then you will need 120 ml of milk, heated to about 70 ° C. It must be whipped so that a thick foam forms from half the volume. Then the milk must be carefully combined with the doppio. Flat white coffee is ready.

Experienced baristas often advise their customers to try this recipe. This is because it allows you to appreciate the rich aroma of freshly roasted Arabica beans, combined with delicate milk foam, better than others. Flat white will certainly appeal to those who prefer a fairly strong coffee, because it is the pronounced bitterness of espresso, only slightly tinged with a creamy taste, that is the main feature of this drink.