How to Make a Flat White

How to make what you decide is the perfect flat white, and how to tweak things until it's perfect for you.

Product links:

4 hole steam tip:

An upgraded portafilter (the one that comes with the Barista Express and Barista Pro, also compatible with Bambino & Bambino Plus):

Blog Reviews:

Other Links Of Interest:

Current Gear:

Cayer BV30L tripod with fluid head (mega tripod for the money!)

Please note, affiliate links included above.

Timecodes:

00:00 Intro
00:48 What makes a flat white different to other milkies?
02:31 Demo
06:16 Demonstrating not enough air being pulled in - not stretching enough
07:38 Demonstrating creating the right kind of foam (microfoam, subtle aeration) but carrying on for too long and producing a stiffer microfoam
09:12 Demonstrating creating "old school" cappuccino foam and not microfoam
12:01 Demonstrating creating what I believe to be the perfect texture for flat white
14:42 Need more help with milk texture?
14:49 Outro
15:17 Tatty Bye

#flatwhite #coffee

[Coffee_Kev]

By the way...If you're in the UK, and you're thinking of buying a Sage machine (any Sage machine, not only their coffee machines), join my mailing list at coffeeblog.co.uk and then drop me an email to see if I have a current discount code to share. I don't currently get Breville discounts, sorry, but I do sometimes have Sage Appliances UK discount codes to share. 

Ta

Kev

[growth_with_nick]

I really appreciate you showing us what not to do, too. And the lack of judgement in terms of what drink is ‘better’ 🙌🏼🙌🏼

[XtutsiX]

Oh Kevin, you have no idea how much you've already helped me navigate my way through my first espresso adventures. I found a cheap Bambino Plus to use as my first machine and you've tought me way more than either the manual or Reddit did. Thank you for your videos and for sharing your knowledge! Also your videos are so upbeat, they give me energy to go on after yet another mediocre espresso shot haha

[sfranks]

Excellent video Kev! It's great to see the "wrong ways" to steam milk followed by the right way. I think this video has taught me where I'm going wrong. Thank you!

[tinakerr]

Thanks for this, I actually quite like to vary the amount of foam usually starting the day with very little and heading towards cappuccino later in the day because the smooth foam feels like a pudding.

[stephendixon]

Hi Kev, useful video that. Seen as you mentioned Lance Hedrick’s videos, I thought that one of his best tips for judging how much texturing/stretching of the milk was just right was to stop when the milk reaches just above body temperature (i.e. 37C), based on feel from the side of the jug, and then lower the tip whilst keeping swirling to finish heating. Made a big difference to my efforts, as I’d been over stretching for too long and kept getting foam separating out on the top. You didn’t mention any espresso quantities in your video. I appreciate it varies, but I’m guessing a ‘typical’ flat white these days would use a double shot based on at least 18-20g of coffee, so say 36-40g of espresso for a 5-6Oz cup ?

[alpinekiwi]

I would drink the shit out of that last cup. Looks perfect.
New Zealand BTW :D

[AndyK]

Hi Kev love the videos mate, thank you for being an inspiration. Just wondering if you can link to your espresso shot glass and also the flat white cup as the look great and just the right volume for what I need!

[rossd]

Had to laugh about the origin of FW. Kiwis? . LoL.

[jonthomson]

Hi Kev, another really useful and instructive video.
I see that you're using a "proper" portafilter. Is it from one of the up-market Sage machines - or is there a third party who's now supplying them?
I'm really looking to replace the original which came with my Bambino Plus.
Keep up the good work!

[saleen]

Hi friend, I'm strongly considering the bambino (regular not plus) due to its price and ease of use for a beginner. I'd be upgrading the portafilter and going bottomless with a nice basket. Do you still recommend it? Would I be happy with it and a 1zpresso jmax for an entry setup to get my feet wet?

I know I'll want to upgrade pretty quickly or eventually if I love it, but a 1500 plus setup isn't really somewhere I want to start with home espresso lol.

I really love the videos! I've been binge watching anything I can find on espresso and especially the bambino!

[Boatsman]

Awesome video. What pitcher did you use? Should I use a specific type of pitcher in order to achieve good latte art?

[chrisrichardson]

Great video again. Was wondering how to obtain the 4 hole steam tip for the sage?

[jameshoey]

Top vid. Again, very helpful. You have a similar accent to me. West Yorkshire?

[kellyhartigan]

Hi. I have just purchased the Sage Barista Express Impress. Do you know if you can buy a four hole steam nozzle tip for it ? The more holes the better steam, do you think? Thank you. 🙏🏻

[jonthomson]

I agree completely with you about whole milk for flat whites. Incidentally, is that the standard portafilter that comes with the Bambino or is it a Sage upgrade?

[freevin]

Informative, thanks! Do you have a link for the bellows on the your grinder?

[davebulow]

Great video, Kev! Thank you. Where did you get your single dose bellows for the eureka?

Edit: Sorry, ignore the question. I just read further down the comments and found the answer.

[millstream]

Really useful video, thanks! Do you have a link to the milk jug that you use?

[TheEmdeez]

Hi Kev thanks for this. I love drinking flat white and this is very useful. Just out of curiosity how much coffee you put into portafilter for 40g shot? Is that ratio I need to maintain? Also I see you are using a barista express portafilter (perhaps) not the standard bambino plus one. Could you tell me the reason? I have bambino plus but does barista express portafilter make any difference to espresso taste and quality? Thank v much