Starbucks adds flat white: A 'wet cappuccino' or a small latte? Controversy brews

A hot debate about the true nature of Australia's favourite caffeinated beverage is brewing ahead of Starbucks' plan to add the flat white to its US coffee menu.

The coffee house chain will be adding the flat white to its menu of espressos, Frappuccinos and pumpkin spiced lattes from January 6.

A Starbucks spokeswoman said the US coffee giant's version of the flat white will be made with "two ristretto shots, topped with a thin layer of velvety steamed whole milk and finished with a latte art dot."

She said the US coffee house was pushing to introduce the beverage in response to "a growing sophistication among coffee drinkers around the world and in the United States".

It is widely believed the beverage originated in Sydney in the mid-1980s, although the Kiwis have claimed it as their own invention. But even local baristas are divided on what a flat white actually is.

Toby's Estate's head roaster Deaton Pigot previously likened the flat white to a "wet cappuccino", while the New York Times described it as a "small latte".

Workshop Espresso barista Levi Hamilton said the flat white was neither a wet cappuccino nor a dry latte.

"The real difference is the amount of froth on top. Cappuccino actually translates to 'cap of foam', so it has the most amount of foam.

"Flat white has 1.5 millimetres of froth on top, so it's nice and flat."

Gary Dickson, a former Melbourne barista with six years' experience, described what Australia's favourite coffee should be.

"It varies, but I was taught a flat white should be smooth, velvety milk poured over a ristretto shot in a 150-180 millilitre cup," he said.

"There shouldn't be a separate layer of froth at the surface, as would be the case in a latte. Instead the air is pulled through all the milk with heating."

Antidote barista Phillip Pennisi described the flat white as "just a coffee with warm milk".

"It's white espresso coffee. It's just coffee with warm milk with less froth than a latte."

He said the flat white offered a good middle ground between cappuccino and latte.

"Australians like their coffee with milk. [The flat white]'s somewhere in between cappuccino and latte."

Starbucks spokeswoman said the chain's baristas were provided training to "learn the art of perfectly steaming milk into velvety microform."

But Mr Pennisi said he was sceptical of the US coffee giant's ability to offer the flat white as part of its menu because the quality of Starbucks coffee was not up to scratch.

Flat white is the most popular coffee order in Australia, followed by cappuccino, according to the latest DeLonghi National Coffee Report. Starbucks in Australia was bought out by 7-Eleven's Withers Group in May last year.