Espresso · Milk
Flat white coffee recipe
A flat white is a small milk coffee where the espresso stays easy to taste.
- Coffee
- 22.5 g
- Cup
- 175 ml
- Temp
- 93 °C
- Time
- 1:24
CupTune's build puts 45 ml of espresso, 118 ml of steamed milk and 12 ml of microfoam into a 175 ml drink. It suits anyone with an espresso machine and a steam wand who finds a latte too milky and a cappuccino too foamy. It needs a milk jug, a thermometer if you want one, and practice. The page specifies amounts and a sequence; it cannot teach the hand skill of texturing milk. For other cup sizes, the milk drinks builder scales this build.
The spec
| Part | Amount |
|---|---|
| Espresso | 45 ml, from a 22.5 g dose at 1:2 |
| Steamed milk | 118 ml |
| Microfoam | 12 ml, a thin film |
| Drink total | 175 ml, in a 240 ml tulip cup |
| Milk to espresso | about 2.9 : 1 |
| Total time | about 84 s |
You need
- An espresso machine with a steam wand, a grinder and a scale.
- A 250 to 350 ml milk jug, and cold milk.
- A 240 ml tulip cup or a small ceramic cup.
Ratio 1:2 · Grind: Espresso · grind chart
Starting ranges come from your grinder maker’s own guide. Burrs, beans and calibration vary, so treat them as where to begin.
Steps
- 0:00, Pull 22.5 g into 45 g.
Dose 22.5 g and aim for 45 g in the cup, about 30 seconds. The espresso recipe covers the shot itself.
- 0:30, Stretch: tip just under the surface.
Put 130 ml of cold milk in the jug, tip just under the surface, and add air for about four seconds.
- 0:34, Texture until warm, then wipe wand.
Sink the tip and spin the milk for around 20 seconds, until the jug is warm to the hand.
- 0:54, Tap and swirl until glossy.
Rap the jug once, then swirl for 10 seconds until glossy.
- 1:04, Pour milk and foam through the crema.
Pour through the crema, then bring the jug close to the surface to finish. This takes 20 seconds.
My notes for this recipe
Why these numbers
45 ml of espresso. This is the build from CupTune's milk drink table. At the 1:2 convention, 45 g of beverage needs a 22.5 g dose. That is a larger shot than the 36 g in a latte or a cappuccino.
The proportions are the point. Milk and foam together are 130 ml, so there is about 2.9 ml of milk for every ml of espresso. A cappuccino at its own table values is 4 : 1 (144 ml to 36 ml), a latte about 7.3 : 1 (264 ml to 36 ml), and a cortado close to 1.1 : 1. The flat white sits between the cortado and the cappuccino. Espresso fills about 26 per cent of the 175 ml, against 12 per cent in the latte.
12 ml of foam. Authored. Microfoam here means a thin, fine-textured layer, not a visible cap.
The 84 seconds are authored from typical home wand behaviour and will vary.
What changes the cup: milk texture
Texture is the whole difference. If the milk takes in too much air, the drink slides toward a cappuccino; with too little, it becomes a plain hot milk and espresso.
- Visible bubbles on top. Too much air. Stretch for less time, and swirl well.
- Thin, no body. Too little air. Keep the tip nearer the surface at first.
- Milk too hot. Stop earlier. In CupTune's judgement, overheated milk loses sweetness and texture.
- Coffee lost in the milk. Check the espresso volume, or use a smaller cup.
Evidence and limits
No standards body defines a flat white. The volumes above are CupTune-authored typical builds offered for planning, and they will not match every café. The espresso base follows the beverage-ratio convention described by SCA material on beverage ratios. The comparison guide at flat white vs latte sets it beside neighbouring drinks. Ratios and percentages on this page are arithmetic from those authored values. Step timings were not machine-tested, and plant milks behave differently.
Questions
Why a 240 ml cup for 175 ml of drink?
The tulip cup keeps headroom so the pour does not spill. Smaller cups work if they hold 175 ml.
Can I use a smaller dose?
Yes, but keep the proportions with the builder.
How is it different from a latte?
Less milk and a smaller, finer foam layer, so the espresso is a larger share.