# Flat White vs Latte



## Gangstarrrrr (Mar 4, 2013)

What is the main difference in these 2 drinks? I thought it was simply a double espresso in both followed by differing amounts of microfoam? With a latte being larger than a flat white?

On a side note, went to a small coffee shop called the little one in primrose hill. They were using Monmouth beans with a linea (i think) and a robur grinder. Double espresso for me, flat white for the missus. Double espresso wasn't anything remarkable, nice enough. The flat white was very nice, a lovely caramel flavour.


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## glevum (Apr 4, 2013)

My favourite is a Triple espresso with 10 fl oz well made microfoam


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Volume ? ( flat white , double shot , 5 oz in total ? ) , even less foam ( than a latte ) , served in a cup ( latte in a glass lol ) . Perhaps an antipodean will appear and give us the true definition lol.


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## 4085 (Nov 23, 2012)

Firstly, a latte, you pour the shot into the milk where as a cappa is the other way round. Not sure about flat whites but it will just be a question of presenting a drink a different way made with different volumes. Something tells me that a flat white is also shorter, where as latte start of at an americam 5 gallon bucket and work down!


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## garydyke1 (Mar 9, 2011)

Generally find

Latte = double shot, 8-10oz thin-ish microfoam. Latte art.

Flat white = double shot, 5-6oz thin microfoam. Latte art.


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## TonyW (Jul 17, 2012)

There was an Australian barista working at Waves Cafe on the seafront in Scarborough last year. One day she made a flat wife for my wife and a latte for me, both with impressive latte art. We were both surprised to find that the flat white didn't just taste a bit stronger, it had quite a different mouth feel. I was a bit of a coffee noob at the time, and still am, so didn't really understand her explanation, but she certainly talked about subtly different microfoam which seems to tally with Garydyke1's comment above.


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## bignorry (Mar 19, 2013)

flat white is like a long black with milk instead of water.


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Flat white, as many have said is around 5-6oz with microfoam slightly thinner than a latte, so that there's barely a head of foam on the drink. Typically made with a double ristretto. It's my drink of choice and is a great benchmark for judging the quality of a coffee shop.


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## gmason (Aug 9, 2012)

Just spent the last week in London and 8 out of 10 flat whites I ordered across the West-end - City were pretty much indistinguishable from lattes or 'thin' cappuccinos. Only Taylor St. and Kaffeine delivered in respect of the places I tried. As Shrink states, it really is a good benchmark in terms of quality/skill.


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## CoffeeDiva (May 9, 2013)

shrink said:


> Flat white, as many have said is around 5-6oz with microfoam slightly thinner than a latte, so that there's barely a head of foam on the drink. Typically made with a double ristretto. It's my drink of choice and is a great benchmark for judging the quality of a coffee shop.


In terms of making these at home what do folk do? I know its personal taste, but just interested. E.g. do people end up using more ristretto brew ratios for lattes/cappas as well as the flat whites or do you lengthen it out to an espresso for these? Or conversely do others use espresso ratio type shots for their 5-6oz drink?


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## Geordie Boy (Nov 26, 2012)

I have 5oz cups and use around 1.5oz of espresso, filling the rest with microfoam to keep the 1/3-2/3 ratio approximately correct


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## shrink (Nov 12, 2012)

Yep I would err towards ristretto double at home.. So between 1 to 1.5oz ish, topped up with steamed milk.


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