A double espresso, silky microfoam, a small cup. The Flat White works because the milk carries the espresso instead of covering it up. If you can already make a cappuccino, you only need to change two things: more espresso, less air.
Joscha Gewinner
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The original recipe is for 1 cup.
Values per cup. Calculated with fresh whole milk, without sugar.
For silky microfoam you need an espresso machine with a steam wand, plus a grinder and a scale so the double espresso is dosed precisely.
Grind 18 g and pull 36 to 45 ml of espresso from it. Darker roasts take 1:2, lighter ones want closer to 1:2.5.
Tip: flatter cups with a wide diameter give you more surface for the latte art later.
With a bottomless portafilter you can see whether the espresso runs evenly out of the basket.
Fill the pitcher a third full with 110 ml of cold whole milk and froth it. For a Flat White, as little air as possible should go in.
Tip: a short stretching phase, then guide the wand deeper: in the rolling phase the bubbles break down into silky microfoam. At 60 to 65 °C it is done, which is the moment the pitcher turns uncomfortably hot against your flat hand.
The colder the milk at the start, the more time you have for the rolling phase.
Tap the pitcher once or twice on the worktop and swirl it round twice. Coarse bubbles disappear and the foam turns glossy.
Tip: if the surface looks like wet paint, the texture is right.
If the foam stands too long it separates again. So go straight on to pouring.
Start pouring from a height so the milk mixes in under the crema, then lower the pitcher at the end to draw the pattern.
Tip: the Flat White tastes just as good without a pattern. But every cup is practice.
The closer the pitcher is to the surface, the more clearly the pattern comes out.
Values per cup. Calculated with fresh whole milk, without sugar.
Above all the amount of espresso: the Flat White is always made with a double shot, the classic cappuccino with a single one. On top of that come less foam and a smaller cup. The full comparison is in the article.
About 110 to 120 ml of cold milk. Frothing increases the volume, so around 120 to 150 ml end up in the cup. The ratio to the espresso is roughly 1:3.
Yes. Many machines have a programme of their own, or you take a double espresso and froth the milk separately. The foam usually turns out airier than with a steam wand, which makes the drink a little more cappuccino-like.
With a double espresso from 18 g of beans, around 126 mg. You can work it out yourself in the caffeine checker.
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