# Flat white ratio



## Thecatlinux

I was wondering what the ratio of milk to espresso was in a flat white,

I weighed mine and it was approx 90g of milk to 30g espresso.

so on my reckoning a 3to1 ratio .

I thought this was quite high , I may have to take another measurement later tonight .

is this the ratio that the rest of you are using .?

Oh happy new year folks


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## The Systemic Kid

30-35grms of espresso in a 160ml flat white cup.


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## espressotechno

Double espresso shot. Add lightly frothed milk to taste.

Any medium sized cup will do (I prefer a Ming dynasty porcelain cup)


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## MildredM

Mine is 80g milk to a 34g shot in a 'flat white' Acme.


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## Stanic

I usually do a shorter (such as 18g in 30 out) shot in a 145 ml cup


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## espressotechno

Apart from my espresso cups (Walkure), I just use a "teacup sized" cup for flat whites & cappuccinos.

Milk volume is by eye....


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## ATZ

My flat white cups are a double (around 36g) with 140-150ml milk


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## ashcroc

MildredM said:


> Mine is 80g milk to a 34g shot in a 'flat white' Acme.


Never though about weighing the milk. Just tried it & got zero wastage!


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## MatBat

Double shot (18>35-45g) in a 150ml cup (acme/notneutral)

Curious what size milk jug people are using for a single drink? I find a 250ml jug to be ideal to minimise wastage


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## ashcroc

MatBat said:


> Double shot (18>35-45g) in a 150ml cup (acme/notneutral)
> 
> Curious what size milk jug people are using for a single drink? I find a 250ml jug to be ideal to minimise wastage


25cl motta here. I bought it by accident misreading the size in the description (was after a 35cl) but it's perfect for smaller cups.


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## les24preludes

I use 220ml cups. 14g ground for around 30 in the cup, then 165ml milk.


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## koi

Have you not seen the McDonald's advert...

"2 thirds coffee, 1 third milk, 1 third foam"


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## les24preludes

koi said:


> Have you not seen the McDonald's advert...
> 
> "2 thirds coffee, 1 third milk, 1 third foam"


Yes, definitions..... Cappuccino, Latte and Flat White are classic drinks with a narrow range of proportions.

Maybe there's another way of looking at it - Cappuccino has most froth, Latte medium, Flat White least, and the proportion of coffee to milk is up to the user's taste.


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## Hasi

les24preludes said:


> Yes, definitions..... Cappuccino, Latte and Flat White are classic drinks with a narrow range of proportions.
> 
> Maybe there's another way of looking at it - Cappuccino has most froth, Latte medium, Flat White least, and the proportion of coffee to milk is up to the user's taste.


it still leaves you with four thirds what looks to me like ...spillage


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## garydyke1

If it isnt 150-160ml sized cup then it isnt a flat white IMO


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## J_Fo

garydyke1 said:


> If it isnt 150-160ml sized cup then it isnt a flat white IMO


When I go to a new coffeeshop I look at their menu and if they have the option of a small or large flat white I immediately temper my expectations...

Of course what people do in their own homes is entirely up to them...


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## Scotford

Jon_Foster said:


> When I go to a new coffeeshop I look at their menu and if they have the option of a small or large flat white I immediately temper my expectations...
> 
> Of course what people do in their own homes is entirely up to them...


I dunno tbh. Taylor Street have long done a large flat white which they add an extra shot to and up the amount of milk accordingly. Becomes an 8oz drink instead of a 5/6oz without altering the coffee/milk ratio.


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## J_Fo

Scotford said:


> I dunno tbh. Taylor Street have long done a large flat white which they add an extra shot to and up the amount of milk accordingly. Becomes an 8oz drink instead of a 5/6oz without altering the coffee/milk ratio.


Sounds delicious!

My flat white test is definitely not an exact science!


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## Spookiemurphy

Flat Cap in Borough Market do large flat whites and I'm glad they do.

There are the best I've had outside of my kitchen.


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## Rj_d2

Ring your local McDonalds they should be experts by now! Lol.


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## robashton

When we're doing events, we don't bother with a menu and just make whatever we're asked to - with the exception of people who ask for the occasional cortado, we use the same amount of milk for any drink asked for (takeaway cups after all) and still try to give people the "right" drink.

"That's a latte, a flat white and a cappuccino" we'll say as we hand over the drinks, they're all identical and not one person has ever complained - definitions are loose across the industry and there is no point in trying to find the standard ratio because the consumers set the demand for that sort of thing and there isn't one.

Of course, a *real* flat white is a double ristretto with 6oz of milk, fight me.


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## Scotford

robashton said:


> double ristretto


Love me a salty milk drink


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## Hasi

robashton said:


> "That's a latte, a flat white and a cappuccino"


a Flat of All Trades


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## MildredM

Every time I look at this thread I think . . . . Fifty Shades Of Flat.

The coffee is brown, like bourbon, but flat. A small moan escapes my mouth, as I take the first sip . . . . And various other adaptations of lines from That Book.


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## jimbojohn55

MildredM said:


> Every time I look at this thread I think . . . . Fifty Shades Of Flat.
> 
> The coffee is brown, like bourbon, but flat. A small moan escapes my mouth, as I take the first sip . . . . And various other adaptations of lines from That Book.




"I have become my own island state. A ravaged, war-torn land where nothing grows and the horizons are bleak." a loud shout escapes me as I throw it down the sink "by ek fekin over extracted again"


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## robashton

Well this took a turn


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## Hall_lee

Jon_Foster said:


> When I go to a new coffeeshop I look at their menu and if they have the option of a small or large flat white I immediately temper my expectations...
> 
> Of course what people do in their own homes is entirely up to them...


 I always look at the person making it. Generally the more tattoos and piercings the better

.?


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## mctrials23

Its a roughly 2:1 ratio of milk to coffee isn't it?

Thats why you cant get one from starbucks and the like because their flat white is just a double into a gallon of milk..

There comes a point where you can't claim your "version" of something is that something at all doesn't there.

I had this discussion with my partner when she made a carbonara without cheese. Carbonara is basically egg, cheese and some bacon product. If you take out a third of the ingredients when there are only 3 to start with, you probably aren't making that dish.


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## Rob1

I always thought 3:1 milk to ristretto. Now what is a ristretto? Modern standards would probably say 1:1 or 1:1.5 but old standards (60ml doubles) would probably say 30ml from a double dose is a ristretto which isn't too far from what people usually drink as espresso in a 2:1 ratio. 14g - 30ml is probably very similar to 18g - 36g. However....the flat white is a modern drink so probably modern measurements apply. In that case you'll probably want 18g to 27g and then dilute it in milk. If I were a barista with some experience working in a cafe, and I had a really dark roast to work with and I knew it tasted like crap pulled to standard shots, and I was a barista that cared, I might be tempted to make a whole new drink. Pull it really short and dilute it with lightly steamed milk.


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