History
The flat white emerged in the 1980s in both Sydney and Auckland, with multiple competing origin claims. By the 1990s Melbourne had codified the format that now travels the world: a double ristretto for body, stretched (not foamed) milk at about 60 degrees Celsius, no froth dome, no latte art necessarily, served in a 160ml ceramic tulip cup. Patricia Coffee Brewers opened in 2011 behind 493-495 Little Bourke Street as a standing-room espresso bar and helped define the contemporary Melbourne idiom: short queue, fast pour, no sweetened drinks, leave fast. The cafe sources from Seven Seeds across the road.
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Common allergens: Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 18g of fresh specialty-roasted espresso beans, ground fine
- 150ml fresh cold whole milk (3.5 percent fat)
- Filtered cold water for the espresso machine
Method
- Preheat your portafilter and a 160ml ceramic tulip cup by running hot water through the grouphead and into the cup; pour out before brewing.
- Grind the beans to fine espresso texture; dose 18g into the portafilter basket, level and tamp firmly at 15kg pressure.
- Pull a double ristretto: aim for 30 to 36g of espresso out in 25 to 28 seconds. The shot should look glossy and end with a tigerskin crema.
- While the shot pulls, pour the cold milk into a 350ml stainless jug to the base of the spout.
- Steam the milk with the wand just below the surface for the first 2 seconds to introduce a small amount of air (no audible hissing), then submerge to create a whirlpool and heat to exactly 60 to 63 degrees Celsius.
- Tap the jug once on the bench to pop large bubbles and swirl to integrate. The milk should look glossy and pour like wet paint.
- Pour the milk from height into the centre of the espresso, drop the jug spout close to the cup as it fills to define a simple white rosette or just a clean dot.
- Drink within 2 minutes; flat white is at peak at the moment the crema and milk integrate.
Tip from the editors. Stretch the milk just enough to coat the inside of the cup but not so much that you build a foam dome. If the steam wand is screaming, you are aerating too much; that produces a cappuccino, not a flat white.
Where to eat flat white
Flat White in Melbourne
Patricia Coffee Brewers ★ 4.8
Patricia in a Little Bourke Street laneway is the CBD's tightest espresso counter: standing-only, rotating guest roasters and a craft benchmark from 2011.
DrinkRotating single-origin espresso
TipEnter from the alley behind Little Bourke Street. Weekday only; closed all weekends.
Flat White in Sydney
Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Sydney. See where to eat Flat White in Sydney or the Sydney signature dishes guide.
More places near Patricia Coffee Brewers
Not on this list, but close by, nearest first. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
- Hardware Societe Brunch, about 600 m away
- Market Lane Coffee (Queen Vic Market) Café, about 850 m away
- Apollo Inn Café, about 950 m away
- Seven Seeds Café, about 1.3 km away
- Auction Rooms Brunch, about 1.6 km away
- St. Ali Café, about 1.9 km away
More cities are in research. Want flat white covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.