Starbucks Adds New Flat White to Coffee with Milk Line Up

Starbucks adds the new Flat White to complement their selection of espresso with steamed milk beverages.

While it's not very common here in the States (at least not under the Flat White name), the flat white is a drink thought to originate over in Australia (or New Zealand, depending on who you ask) back in the 1980s. A flat white is made with finely foamed steamed milk and espresso, which probably sounds a lot like a latte to most of you.

So what's the difference? Rather than go into what ordering a flat white would get you over in Australia or the UK, it'd probably more helpful to explain what you get at Starbucks. According to Starbucks, "The Starbucks Flat White is an espresso beverage made with two ristretto shots, combined with a thin layer of velvety steamed whole milk and finished with a latte art dot. A ristretto shot delivers a sweeter, more intense coffee flavor." It's described as "bolder than a latte, yet steamed milk keeps it smoother than a cappuccino."

To break it down, a 12-oz Tall Flat White at Starbucks contains two shots of espresso compared to one in their Latte or Cappuccino. In terms of steamed milk, the Flat White has finer foam than the Latte or Cappuccino and less milk overall than the Latte. Starbucks' Cappuccino has more or less the same volume of milk as the Flat White, but has fluffier foam.

At my local Starbucks, you can get the Flat White in different sizes, but only the Tall is listed on the menu at $3.75 (compared to $2.95 for a Latte or Cappuccino of the same size due to the extra shot of espresso).

Nutritional Info - Starbucks Flat White w/ Whole Milk - Tall  (12 fl oz)
Calories - 170 (from Fat - 80)
Fat - 9g (Saturated Fat - 5g)
Sodium - 115mg
Carbs - 14g (Sugar - 13g)
Protein - 9g