The Flat White (coffee) is getting downgraded

[Towcester]

Light hearted (kind of)

Always liked a short strong coffee with a bit of foamy milk on top (But I want to taste the coffee not just milk).

When the flat white arrived in the UK it was perfect for my tastes. Now, wherever I order one it seems to come like a latte...like drinking warm milk with a hint of coffee. Is it just charged at a premium rate now but served like a latte? Maybe they add two shots but they serve it in a big cup so it's 90% milk.

I know the cortado is the obvious alternative but when you go to some cafes they don't really know what a corrado is.

Macchiato is probably the one if it is served like in Italy but it seldom is.

Gregg's flat white is still what you're looking for. 2 shots of coffee and a bit of foam. I drink a lot of them.

YANBU I don’t know why so many places put flat white on the menu and then hand you one of those massive full cups! It instantly goes on my list of ‘not going back to’ cafes. I’ve had a latte, a cappuccino and everything in between when asking for a flat white.

I love a cortado bit agree some places wouldn’t know what you are talking about.

Leon do a pretty good flat white. My DH makes perfect ones.
I only drink one coffee a day so I can't abide bad ones.

Pret still do a good strong flat white. Though independent cafes are usually better.

I wouldn't go in Costa or Starbucks tho so can't comment on those.

A lot of people I've found don't know how to make them properly, and also a lot of people don't know what they're asking for either.

One memorable occasion where I served a flat white I was told off because they were apparently expecting something more along the lines of an americano with me adding the milk to make it a white coffee or a latte.......... 🤷🏼‍♀️ That was an interesting conversation 😂

I agree with you. I've had some really awful flat whites in recent months, way too milky and frothy.

I know what you mean. I love a cortado. It's the perfect balance and I like that it is usually a bit smaller (I prefer a smaller coffee rather than a bucket).

I agree - the flat white is my go to to avoid the bucket of slightly coffee flavoured milk that passes for a cappuccino these days. But I’ve had huge ones served to me that tasted of nothing - back to square one! Costa’s are actually ok in that at least with a chain it’s a standard amount of milk so they’re not too big.

Oh for an Italian cappuccino that’s just a normal cup sized and actually tastes of coffee!

And they are stronger from the new coffee machines being rolled out in the shops!!!

I think you need to find some new coffee shops. I don’t generally rate the ones from chains but I guess it depends where you live/what’s on offer.

YANBU. I think that people know that flat whites are 'trendy' but still actually want a big milky coffee and feel ripped off when they get something so small and bitter. All the big coffee chains seem to be driven by a sense of 'value' hence serving everything in a bucket.

I only buy flat whites from independent cafes that know what they're doing. At chains I'll get iced americanos/cold brew, tea or hot chocolate. I've been so disappointed by chain coffee.

I mourn the demise of the Filter Coffee. I do not like hot milk and I don't want foam.
I'm always told to have an Americano. No, I want a full mug of decent coffee with a splosh of cold milk on the top. Nowhere does them any more. (I settle for a free glass of water...yah boo sucks)

To be fair I thought that's what they were: It does sound like a basic white coffee to those not 'in the know', maybe with some fancy warm milk to justify being the same price as a cappuccino, and I've never really understood what the difference in appeal is between a latte and a flat white.

Completely agree, I've found so many places (particularly, though by no means exclusively, chains) provide a giant milky coffee when you order a flat white, which is exactly what I'm aiming to avoid - if I wanted that I'd have ordered a latte! Costa is especially bad for this: I order a cortado from there and even that is milkier than I'd usually expect a flat white to be. I think the thought process goes that bigger coffee = better, which is just not true.

Yeah, I would know where to go if I was in my home town but sometimes on the road you just don't know what you will get. Been to a national trust cafe today that was poor. A lot of small village type cafes don't seem to be able to give me my idea of a flat white either.

There's a cafe at my workplace and I'm convinced they think "flat white" and "latte" are the same thing. That said, if I'm at work I'm just happy with anything caffeinated to get me through the afternoon!

I gave up on flat whites because they were always so incredibly milky. Now I just drink americano with a splash of milk. I usually have a 4 shot (decaf!) 450ml but it varies from shop to shop.

@FuzzyPuffling how does an Americano with a splash of cold milk differ from a filter coffee? Aside from the price .

McDonald's flat whites are okay.

Size.

It's so hard to find a decent flat white these days 😭 cortado is also my go to if they know what one is

From generic highstreet cafes Starbucks is the worst - milk with a hint of coffee
Pret is the strongest. Caffe Nero OK and Costa too milky.

I agree that places have started to re-interpret Flat White. It's annoying as like you, it was the easy answer for me when they first arrived.

Flat whites are always too milky for me and I can't stand lattes either for the same reason therefore I only drink Americano with milk

I mourn the demise of the Filter Coffee. I do not like hot milk and I don't want foam.

@FuzzyPuffling Pret always used to do a decent filter coffee?

No expert, but my understanding is that an Americano should be an espresso stretched with hot water, whereas a filter coffee is exactly that - coffee made using a filtration system (as opposed to the pressure system of an espresso machine).