Why Flat White Is the Easiest Milk Coffee to Mess Up

 Many baristas somehow reach the same consensus: if you want to judge the quality of a coffee shop, just order a flat white and you’ll know. If the flat white is good, the rest of the drinks are usually up to standard. When asked why, these baristas reply: because it is the milk coffee that is the easiest to “mess up.”

The most controversial espresso-based coffee
The flat white is a coffee with no definitive origin or agreed-upon method. Regarding the true birthplace of the flat white, the debate between Australia and New Zealand remains unresolved, but regardless of who invented it, we only need to know that it is a milk coffee from the Southern Hemisphere.
As for its definition, the flat white likewise has no clear concept, so every coffee shop has its own “exclusive recipe,” but no matter how it changes, it usually sticks to three key points: less milk, thinner foam, and stronger coffee flavor. When making it, baristas reduce the milk and control the thinness of the microfoam to highlight the aroma of the coffee beans. Therefore, compared to a latte, a flat white is not only smaller but also has a stronger coffee taste and a thicker mouthfeel. It sounds more like an “advanced version of a latte.”

It’s hard to control the thickness of the foam
Like lattes and cappuccinos, the flat white requires smooth, silky foam, but with one difference—it also needs to be thin.
Anyone who has steamed milk knows that controlling the thickness of the foam depends on the aeration time (amount of air introduced). Cappuccinos have the thickest foam because they require at least a 1.5 cm dome, so the aeration time is the longest—about 4–5 seconds. Lattes aim for a balanced mouthfeel, so the thickness is controlled at 0.5–1 cm, with aeration time around 2–4 seconds.

But the foam for a flat white must be light and thin, so the aeration time must not be too long; otherwise, it easily becomes a latte, and the first sip will not deliver the rich crema. To ensure guests enjoy a flat white that is silky like cream yet not too watery, we at Qianjie keep the foam thickness uniform at 0.3 cm. Under these conditions, only 1–2 seconds of aeration is needed—after two quick “squeaks,” the steam wand should be submerged into the milk to create a whirlpool and properly texture the milk until it reaches 50–55°C.
Due to the small amount of aeration, the milk texturing process tends to sound sharper. When shaking the pitcher, the foam should appear glossy—that means the microfoam is qualified.

Because the foam is thin, it’s harder to pour latte art
Here at Qianjie, we have a saying: an editor who cannot pour latte art is not a good barista. Even if they cannot create intricate designs for every cup, the pattern must at least be upright and clear before serving. The flat white is the coffee with the highest latte art failure rate.
As mentioned earlier, the foam in a flat white is the thinnest. The purpose is to help us better appreciate the mouthfeel created when coffee and milk fuse together. But during preparation, thinner foam means less support on the surface. As the milk and coffee integrate, the milk liquid sinks more easily, and the foam floats around with the flow. This often leads to the latte art pattern becoming distorted.

For this reason, many baristas do not attempt complex designs on flat whites—most opt for simple patterns. Only competition-level or highly skilled baristas unleash their full abilities on this drink.

The even fusion of milk and coffee
A good dish requires quality ingredients and proper pairing. Similarly, an excellent flat white first requires good coffee beans and milk that complements them, followed by a high degree of integration between the two.
Because a flat white contains less milk to mask the flavor, the coffee becomes more pronounced, allowing us to immediately sense the bean quality and characteristics. A thoughtful coffee shop will also select milk based on the style of its espresso blend and adjust it through multiple trials to find the best ratio.

For example, when brewing a flat white using Qianjie’s specialty espresso blend, we extract only the front and middle portion of a double ristretto as the base (parameters: 20 g of coffee grounds to extract 30 g of espresso in 22–25 seconds), paired with 160 ml of Bright Dairy fresh milk.

When the espresso and steamed milk are ready, the next step is to integrate them evenly. At Qianjie, we first pour the hot milk gently into the coffee, then raise the pitcher to maintain a thin column of milk, using gravity to stir the crema in circular motions. Then we lower the pitcher and push out the white lines forcefully. With all steps completed in one smooth motion, a flat white is born.

A flat white made in this way has a smooth surface and clean pattern, indicating high fusion. The latte art remains clear until the last sip. The drinking temperature is moderate, and you can taste the roasted hazelnut, dark chocolate, and baked toast notes from Qianjie’s specialty blend. The rich crema, along with a slight sweetness from the milk, creates a full-bodied yet not overly bitter cup with layered complexity.