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The Coffee 100 · make it at home

The Melbourne flat white: a double shot under thin, glossy milk

5 min · 1 cup (about 160 ml)

Australia's gift to the world's cafés, and the order at half the chart: smaller and stronger than a latte, with milk steamed to a thin, silky microfoam that sits flush with the rim.

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The real one

You need

• 18 g espresso beans (a medium roast with chocolate and fruit is classic)
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) very cold whole milk
• An espresso machine with a steam wand, a small metal pitcher, a 160 to 180 ml cup

How to make it

1. Shot (30 sec): Pull a double espresso, 18 g in and about 36 g out in 25 to 30 seconds, straight into the warmed cup.
2. Purge (2 sec): Point the steam wand into a cloth and open it for a second or two to blow out water.
3. Stretch (3 to 5 sec): Put the wand tip just under the surface of the cold milk, a little off-centre, and open it fully. You'll hear a soft tearing paper sound as air goes in. Stop stretching once the milk has grown about 10 per cent: a flat white wants far less foam than a cappuccino.
4. Spin (15 to 20 sec): Sink the tip a little deeper so the milk spins in a whirlpool and the bubbles break down to a glossy, wet-paint texture. Stop when the side of the pitcher is too hot to hold for more than a second, about 60°C (140°F). Wipe and purge the wand.
5. Pour (10 sec): Tap the pitcher on the counter, swirl it until it shines, and pour from 5 cm high into the middle of the shot, then bring the spout down close to the surface to finish with a small heart or a white dot. The foam should be only about 5 mm thick.

Tips

• Milk above 65°C tastes cooked and loses its sweetness. Use a thermometer until your hand learns the feel.
• For oat milk, buy a barista version; it stretches like dairy. Stretch it a little less.
• If the milk looks bubbly and stiff, you let in air too long. Next time, sink the wand sooner.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any café's recipe.