Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the Flat White.
In case you didn’t know (like me), March 11, 2011 is the day that the ‘flat white’ was officially added to the Oxford English dictionary.
A flat white is a coffee drink consisting of espresso with micro-foam (steamed milk with small, fine bubbles and a glossy or velvety consistency). It generally has a higher proportion of espresso to milk than a caffè latte, and a thinner layer of microfoam than a cappuccino. While the origin of the flat white is unclear, various café owners in Australia and New Zealand claim its invention.
– Wikipedia
The first time I heard flat white, it was 2012 and I was in Sydney, Australia. I was in the line at a busy coffee shop in a bustling financial hub. Hordes of black suited corporate types rapidly ordered their coffees, while equally efficient baristas double handedly steamed and poured their cups. It was 8:50 am and everyone wanted their coffee stat.
The queue was disproportionately male (it was a bank), overwhelmingly tall (to my 5` nothing) and unflatteringly gaunt in the harsh light of glass and metal. They all spoke with that unique Australian accent which I found hard to understand.
When it was my turn to order, I asked for a regular coffee with milk. The barista looked at me like I was from another planet. Maybe it was my accent.
“A black coffee,” I elaborated. “With milk.”
“A flat white?” she said.
Flat white made no sense to me. But the line was long and the bankers were antsy.
“Sure,” I said.
I remember the coffee being hot and strong with not enough milk. I may have surreptitiously poured some out and topped it up with cream.
The flat white was invented in Australia and/or New Zealand (depending on who’s claiming) somewhere in the 1980s. It was exported to the UK in 2005, snuck into NYC in 2013 and by 2015, was made ubiquitous by Starbucks.
In Toronto, I can walk into any Starbucks and order a flat white. However, it’s more likely that I’ll order a regular coffee. Brewed. Medium roast. I’ll add the cream.
The Sandy Chronicles 
While ordering coffee I am tempted by the names but instead order my plain black cup😊
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This is funny, Sandy! I also have been coffee shamed for requesting just a black coffee at one of those frou-frou coffee shops. It confuses them, I think, to have such a simple order! Hahaha
Sorry I’m slow to respond about our Toronto visit. We are still working out our plan, but I’ll firm things up by the end of this week. Can’t wait! 🙂
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I know what you mean 🙂 Looking forward to hearing from you.
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My husband likes a flat white but I’m not a fan of milk so I’ll stick to my black Americano (with an extra shot!) or double espresso 🙂
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You’re a true coffee drinker. I can’t drink milk straight up but I do prefer my coffee with milk.
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I wasn’t aware it was a particularly Aussie thing – or Kiwi thing depending on which side of the ditch you are from.
Awesome. Personally, I would rather a cappucino if I drank coffee which I haven’t done but the other half drinks the flat white. I can imagine the line of men ordering their flat whites. The ladies now seem to go for a cafe latte….
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I’ve lots of fond memories of cappucino … back in the days before Starbucks. It was made by a Hungarian lady behind a old-fashioned lunch bar. This was before coffee shops were common and finding something special meant knowing someone from Europe.
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What a fun memory! Hungarian inspired cappuccino. I find it incredibly hard to find baristas who can make a genuine thick blancmange-y Italian hot chocolate. I do love them, but am frequently disappointed with watery attempts to replicate this delicious custardy drink.
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Interesting! Not too different from a Cuban cortadito, like the ones you can order at any place in Miami. Only that, sometimes, cortaditos are made with condensed milk.
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Strong coffee and condensed milk sounds like a hallmark of tropical places. In Singapore strong coffee with condensed milk is called Kopi-C. In Vietnam, my favorite is coffee brewed right over a layer of sweet condensed milk.
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