Flat White Coffee in London

Kiwi's (New Zealanders) are extending their reach half-way round the globe to plant delicious cups of "flat white" in front of coffee-lovers in London.

Auckland's Allpress Espresso today opened its new cafe and roastery in East London's trendy Shoreditch.


It is the second overseas venture for the company - which was founded in 1987; it's first offshore operation is in Sydney, Australia.

Source: New Zealand Herald Kiwis out to give London a taste of fine espresso

Starbucks and Flat Whites; Only a Matter of Time?

The flat white from New Zealand/Australia is slowly but surely taking over the coffee world. Another couple of articles here make reference to the flat white taking London by storm here and here.

I was intrigued to read in the second of the articles that Starbucks is selling flat whites in London. I know they have been on the menu in Australia and New Zealand Starbucks stores. I have never tried one on any of my trips home downunder as what is the point of going to a chain when you have the aggressive competition of owner-operated coffee shops competing against each other to be the best in town while the Starbucks "baristas" attempt to make coffee according to the "paint by numbers" approach.

Anyhow, my prediction is that it won't be too long now and Starbucks will add the flat white to their menus in the U.S. My fear is that they will do damage to the "flat white brand" and like they do with all their drinks; use beans that are over-roasted and then drown it in scalded milk, and offer it with flavors to disguise just how bad a job they are doing.

Further Reading: How to make a flat white

New Zealanders are to coffee what Russians are to chess

How to Make a Flat White

Flat White is an espresso-based drink common in New Zealand and Australia. The flat white is slowly being spread around the world by ex-pat Kiwis and Aussies and seems to be well-entrenched now in London.

The "flat white" is an exceptional espresso-based drink; rich and velvety in the mouth, and my personal favorite. I find that it appeals to my American friends when I make it for them at home.

I'm sure that even if you aren't aware of the flat white, you no doubt know what a cappuccino and a latte are.

Let's say the cappuccino is the "Marge Simpson" of espresso-based drinks with milk, with the milk whipped into a bubbly froth and placed on top of the espresso like a high "bee-hive" do.

The latte, on the other hand, has had a hair cut, but nonetheless, has enough froth left in the milk to top the drink off with a slight bit of teasing on top.

The flat white, on the other hand, doesn't have any of that volume on top, but rather has all that tease distributed throughout the espresso, giving that rich, velvety feel I mentioned above.

So how do you go about making a flat white at home for yourself?

Let's take it for granted that you've read all I've written here about making your espresso pull, rich with crema on top. OK, then all you need to perfect now is foaming the milk for your flat white. You can read all about that here: how to foam milk for your espresso-based drinks. When making a flat white, make sure you blend or fold the micro-foam sitting on top of the foamed milk into the rest of the milk either with a large teaspoon or by swirling the pitcher. The milk should be velvety and wet.

The final step is to pour the milk from the bottom of you container into the espresso, using your spoon to hold back the lightest foam on top. Do not pour any of the light foam that gets left behind in the container into the cup. Voila! You have made your first flat white.

Flat-White lends itself well to making what is referred to as Latte Art. With a bit of practice you can make patterns such as leaves and hearts. But first of all just perfect making a great flat-white; it tastes just as good when well made without any fancy art on top. Even without any latte art, the drink should look rich and inviting since the espresso, crema, and velvety milk all combine to make for a rich and inviting palate. It's a work of art in itself!

Now that I've wetted your appetite for a flat white, make them at home. To get going you will initally need to make an investment in some appliances, so here are my recommendation for a home espresso maker and a coffee grinder.

If your thing is latte or cappuccino, etc., I have posted other how to make Espresso Based Drinks.

In making a flat-white you are essentially making a latte, but pouring less milk to start, and then placing less of the micro-foam milk on the top, hence the word "flat" in the name. Whereas a latte has about half to one inch of micro-foam on top depending on preference, a flat-white has only about 1/4 inch of micro-foam on top. As I said before, the milk to espresso ratio in New Zealand and Australia is much less than is typical of espresso-based drinks in the United States.

Related pages:
How to make espresso at home
How to steam milk for your espresso coffee drinks
How to make a latte
How to make a flat-white