If you have visited a coffee shop over the past couple of years, you will undoubtedly be familiar with a drink that has experienced a huge surge in popularity recently: the flat white.
The story of this drink dates back to the mid-1980s in Sydney, Australia. Few could have ever imagined that flat whites would become a worldwide hit when Alan Preston added the new coffee creation to his menu at Moors Espresso Bar.
His idea was to put a twist on a traditional cappuccino by offering a drink with less foam, but more milk and a smoother consistency.
The reasons for the surge in popularity of flat whites are mostly centered on how they offer coffee drinkers a different experience than a traditional cappuccino or a latte. Lattes have a very high ratio of milk to coffee and cappuccinos present their milk in the form of a very thick layer of foam.
Flat whites strike a different balance, offering only a very thin layer of microfoam that resists and is able to be enjoyed throughout the drink. Also, its ratio of coffee to milk is much higher, allowing the characteristics of the coffee used in the beverage to take center stage.
If you haven’t done it yet, why not try a flat white the next time you head to your local coffee shop?
