A flat white is an espresso drink made with a double shot and steamed milk that has a very fine, smooth texture called microfoam. It’s served in a small cup, usually around 160 to 170 ml. Compared to a cappuccino, it has less foam and a stronger coffee taste, with a silky, creamy body.
The name describes the look and texture of the drink. “Flat” refers to the thin, smooth layer of microfoam on top, as opposed to the tall, fluffy foam on a cappuccino. “White” refers to the milk.
The flat white came out of the café scenes of Australia and New Zealand in the 1980s. Both countries claim to have invented it, and the argument has never been settled. Sydney’s Moors Espresso Bar is often credited with serving it in the mid-1980s, while a café in Wellington, New Zealand, says it created the drink a few years later. Either way, it spread to the UK, the US, and beyond, and is now on menus in cafés worldwide.