Introduction:Flat White is a popular beverage in specialty coffee shops around the world, but its place of origin has long been disputed. Both New Zealand and Australia claim to be its birthplace—so which country is truly the "mother of the Flat White"? This article traces the evolution of Australian coffee culture, delves into the claims of both nations regarding the creation of this thin-microfoam espresso drink, and helps readers distinguish the key differences between Flat White and Latte through foam thickness, cup size, and milk ratio.

Flat White has now become a staple on the menus of specialty coffee shops worldwide, yet the "origins" of this beloved coffee drink remain shrouded in mystery. For years, New Zealand and Australia have each insisted they are the home of this coffee characterized by its thin layer of microfoam. Not only is its place of origin hotly debated, but there is also no consensus on the espresso base used, the milk ratio, or even the standard serving size. This article will take readers on a journey to explore how Australian coffee culture emerged, clarify the arguments over Flat White’s originality, and differentiate it from Latte based on practical presentation details. If you’re also curious about the origins of this “popularity star,” let’s dive in together.

There’s a saying in the coffee community: when a certain drink appears on Starbucks’ menu, it often signals that it has entered the mainstream market. In 2015, Starbucks introduced Flat White to its U.S. stores under the name “Flat White,” and since then, the coffee has quickly gained attention and popularity.

However, in the Chinese market, Flat White goes by many names, including “Ao Bai” (澳白), “Xiao Bai” (小白), “Chun Yi Bai” (醇艺白), and “Ao Rui Bai” (澳瑞白), with no unified terminology. To add to the confusion, there are varying accounts of its espresso extraction method, milk and foam ratios, and even the type of cup used. Where does this drink really come from? And how is it different from Latte? Let’s start with the development of coffee in Australia and gradually uncover the mystery.

Coffee first arrived in Australia in the 18th century with British immigrants, officially landing on this soil in 1788. But it wasn’t until the 1830s that coffee culture truly took root in Australia, when the rise of the temperance movement led people to seek non-alcoholic social beverages, and coffee gradually became more widespread.

After World War II, around the 1950s, a large number of European immigrants, especially families from Italy, moved to Australia. To make a living, they brought their homeland’s espresso techniques to the region, opened coffee shops, and injected new vitality into Australian coffee culture.

Over time, more and more coffee stalls appeared on the streets of Melbourne. Local coffee shops were broadly divided into two types: one type offered light meals and a variety of drinks such as milk bars, with limited coffee options mainly including Long Black, Latte, and Cappuccino—places where the working class would go for lunch; the other type focused on coffee and desserts, also with limited choices, mainly serving black coffee and white coffee with milk.

In bustling urban areas, cafes with an Italian style began to emerge, offering a more diverse range of coffees at the counter. Consumers also became increasingly particular about coffee quality and flavor. It was in this environment that Flat White was born—a drink emphasizing intense flavor and delicate microfoam control, showcasing Australians’ pursuit of coffee excellence.

However, there has long been a dispute between New Zealand and Australia over who created this coffee, with each side having its own “origin story.”

The side supporting New Zealand points out,in 1989,barista Fraser McInnes was working at Cafe Bodega in Wellington when he accidentally frothed the milk for a cappuccino too thinly, and ultimately named this new drink “Flat White.” In fact, similar thin-microfoam espresso drinks had already appearedas early as 1984,and this experience is also recorded in some coffee origin textbooks.

However, Australia also has its own narrative. Barista Alan Preston claims that he launched this drink as early as1985at his Moors Espresso Bar in Sydney, and that the drink was already listed on the café’s menu at the time. Although Preston later changed careers, he kept photos from when the shop first opened as evidence, which he has made public on his website.

Although there is still no final conclusion, this does not affect Flat White’s global popularity. For example, Hugh Jackman, a well-known Australian actor, is a loyal fan of this coffee. At his Manhattan coffee shop Laughing Man Coffee, Flat White is one of the signature drinks.

Regardless of its place of origin, Flat White’s widespread popularity is inseparable from the international expansion of Australian coffee shops and baristas’ nuanced mastery of specialty coffee. The soul of this drink lies in the precise pairing of espresso and milk.

Compared to Latte, the most distinctive feature of Flat White is its use ofthinner, more delicate microfoam,typically only about0.5 centimetersthick, with a silky-smooth texture composed of tiny visible bubbles, often described as having a “velvet-like” feel. This kind of foam structure allows baristas to create more intricate latte art.

Additionally, the cup size of a Flat White is usually around5.5 ounces (approximately 160 milliliters),which is relatively small to medium in volume. The thinner foam layer also helps highlight the coffee’s flavor. In contrast, Latte has thicker foam and a higher proportion of milk, resulting in an overall smoother taste.

In terms of the espresso base, some shops use a more intense ristretto—essentially only the first half of the espresso shot. Some baristas in Melbourne, Australia, even go further by usingdouble ristretto(specific technique not provided in the original text),served in a glass cupwith a capacity of about

150 milliliters,

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.