Flat White vs Latte
If you are not very familiar with coffee types, then better know the difference between Flat White and Latte, two of the popular varieties of coffee beverage, before you walk into a coffee shop in Australia or New Zealand. Coffee is perhaps the most popular beverage around the world, and there are scores of variations of this wonderful beverage that are different in preparation and flavor, apart from being popular in different parts of the world. Just imagine yourself inside Barista or Coffee Day looking at the menu as you come across exotic looking names like Latte, Flat White, cappuccino, and so on. Not many people know about the differences between various preparations, and this article attempts to find out differences between Latte and Flat White.
What is Latte?
Latte is a coffee variant that is prepared using espresso and milk. A Latte is nothing but an espresso and steamed milk served with a small layer of milk froth on top. When a trained barista (it is the name of the coffee server) pours latte from a jug, he can create artwork on the top of your latte, which looks really mesmerizing. Being Italian in origin, Latte is different from black coffee, which is prepared without milk. Milk is called latte in Italian, and it is thus, espresso mixed with milk. In fact, it would be better to call latte ‘café latte’, as it is a mixture of coffee and milk. Adding froth of milk on top of that results in a good cup of latte.
What is Flat White?
A flat white is a coffee variant that is prepared using espresso and milk. In fact, flat white is a preparation that is popular in Australia and New Zealand only, and the difference if any lies in the ratio of milk and espresso. There is less milk and less foam at the top in flat white than latte. Despite misconception, there is a little bit of foam even in flat white. However, there are places where you do not get foam at all when you order flat white. There are people who say that to prepare flat white, milk should be taken off when it has just been boiled. However, there is a slight change in the taste of the milk after boiling, and it is better to make use of milk that has cooled down to around 70 degrees Celsius. While making flat white, no air bubbles are allowed to enter the preparation which is why there is no froth and one gets a smooth, silky flavor of the coffee preparation when he drinks flat white.
What is the difference between Flat White and Latte?
• Flat white originated in Sydney, Australia in 80’s, while latte originated in Italy like many other variations of coffee quite some time ago.
• Both flat white and latte are prepared using espresso and milk. The only difference lies in the ratios of espresso and milk.
• Latte art may or may not be present in flat white.
• Frothed milk is rarely used in flat white.
• Due to the lack of milk in a flat white, it carries more coffee taste.
Images Courtesy:
- Flat White by (WT-shared) Shoestring (CC BY-SA 1.0)
