What do I need to buy to make a flat white coffee?

I don’t have a fancy coffee machine and nor do I have the counter space in the kitchen for one.

So, what’s the minimum “equipment” and methodology for a reasonably decent flat white?

For reference, I have a kettle and a cafetière and some ground coffee, so what else should I buy?

I’m not keen on the idea of coffee pods (unless there’s some re-usable ones I’m not aware of….)

TIA

Kettle, cafetiere, mug, teaspoon is all the equipment needed to make a good white coffee

You need espresso and milk. Even if you’ve got an espresso machine you need quite a decent one to get the right texture for the milk if you want one approaching the quality you get from a decent coffee shop.

You’ll be able to make a nice brew with a mocha pot and a milk frother but it won’t be the same as a flat white from a cafe

You could make a sort of 2D facsimile using an Aeropress and one of those Aerolatte electric whisks I guess, but you’ll never be able to do the whole microfoamed milk thing without a proper machine with a steam nozzle.

Edit: yeah, or a stove-top for the coffee.

If you’re anything like the sweet lady at the Dorking station cafe, you simply interpreted ANY ‘fancy coffee idea’ as Americano with milk.

Flat white… Americano and milk for you.

Latte…. Americano and milk for you…

DrP

Espresso and a steam wand for the milk. Not really sure how to get that with alternative kit. Maybe look at the smallest possible espresso machine with steam wand. Eg sage Bambino is very compact. (Not used one though).

James Hoffmann –
<h1 class=”style-scope ytd-watch-metadata”>Making Cappuccino/Latte/Flat White at Home (without an Espresso Machine)</h1>

Mrs_oab likes a flat white or latte.

She’s got one of these :  https://amzn.eu/d/5PrMI8P

And either a pour over from a Hario v60 or I’ve a stovetop espresso maker (which took a touch of learning so that it didn’t taste all burnt )

Coffee Dripper – Drip Coffee Maker – 2 Cup

Italian Style Stovetop Espresso Coffee Maker

Its all a bit faffy.

Black coffee at home

Flatty oot and aboot

I haven’t watched that James Hoffman video. I probably ought to but he does grate a bit.

At home we make a very decent “2d facsimile of a” flat white with Lavazza grinds, an aeropress and a whisk based milk frother. It’s a better tool for an approximation of a cappuccino or caffè latte as its less crucial to get the foam right – but a home made flat white like this is still better than a good 75% of the mugs of garbage you’ll get served whole out and about unless you’re very savvy about where you drink.

If we are at home we make do with Stove top Mocca pot and microwave milk. Stored in a vacuum flask and drunk over the morning

No it’s not a that white. But it’s fine

Minimum equipment?  In your case, probably a new kitchen with space for a decent coffee machine.

But if you can find space – A Sage bean to cup machine for about £400 via eBay refurb is about the same size as two kettles and removes most of the faff and makes a flat white which is better than pretty much all the chain stores. Only a couple of the good independents around here (Bath and Bristol) are better and even then, it still depends.  I like a HOT coffee and that’s not always what you get.

My home flat white uses n espresso machine,but the milk is done with an nespresso frother pot- if you use cappuccino setting but pour it as soon as it’s finished it makes for good textured milk.

Aeropress, Joepresso (optional but does produce more flavour from fewer beans) and Bodum Latteo frother for me. Technically it’s not a ‘proper’ drink (i.e. not actually espresso) but I reckon it’s still better than 95%+ of non-specialist coffee shop fare.

Just add a milk frother to your cafetiere and see how you get on. I have a Lavazza branded one and it’s fine for at home flat white approximation.

I would use a whisk thing rather than the cafetiere to ease cleaning. You can also get a little electric pot that heats the milk and foams it – Lidl had them recently. It saves scrubbing milk residue out of a pan but I can’t vouch for the results as I haven’t tried one.

For the coffee part, as above Aeropress is cheap, easy and well regarded – but follow Hoffman’s instructions rather than the ones it comes with. But there’s also Handpresso type devices. Stovetop/Moka pot also good but there is a technique involved again. Probably takes longer than an Aeropress.

If you’re anything like the sweet lady at the Dorking station cafe, you simply interpreted ANY ‘fancy coffee idea’ as Americano with milk.

Flat white… Americano and milk for you.

Latte…. Americano and milk for you…

I mean, she’s right though.

It was when people who like milk in their coffee (and I have no problem with that) started being given all these different options for what is still essentially just a white coffee, that it started taking bloody ages to buy a drink…

dont forget the fancy spoon you need for tasting

Manhattan Rainbow Demitasse Spoon

Black coffee at home

Flatty oot and aboot

I’m increasingly the other way round. I’ve had so many really poor ‘flat whites’ locally –  often the milk is just hot milk – that I’d rather just have an americano when out unless I know they do a decent one.

For a flat white you apparently need ‘microfoam’ which a milk frother ain’t going to give you, you need steam I believe!

I tried making it with my delonghi bean to cup a few years ago and didn’t do too badly but the steam wand on my machine simply isn’t really good enough.  I’d like to see what a decent Sage B2C machine would produce ‘cost I do like a flat white!

At almost £4 for a flat white that is made in a cup not warmed up, left on the counter to be brought over and is tepid to drink

I ping my flat white at home for 10/15 seconds in the microwave if I’ve been distracted but the artisan barista may make you another and it’s much the same

I sometimes just buy a bag of their beans and wait until I get home

I’ve had so many really poor ‘flat whites’ locally

Yes and there’s no excuse either. When I was in New Zealand 15+ years ago you could get a decent Flat White almost anywhere. They did invent them though

In general the UK is still really bad at coffee, i.e. you have to seek out something that tastes reasonable. Also I’d much rather have a filter coffee than a watery Americano. Few places seem to do filter coffee now days… the irony being it’s what most people want, just a black or white coffee!

The electric milk heater frothers make nice frothy milk, slightly different from a steam wand but still good, cost about £20 to £40 and don’t take up massive cupboard space. For low kit buying a small whisk and heat the milk in a pyrex jug in the microwave works well too.

Make strong coffee however. I buy ready ground coffee from the supermarket for this so will never be a connoisseur who can tell you the best way.

often the milk is just hot milk

Genuine question, is that not the point of the ‘flat’ bit, i.e. not foamy?
I honestly never have milk in my coffee and my wife likes to heat milk to add to hers, but prefers non-foamy and she always orders a flat-white when out.

Those little electric heating & frothing pots are good. The missus bought me a Dualit one last birthday for making cocoa. (I either chop 100% cacao buttons, or f feeling lazy use cocoa powder. So much nicer than sweetened hot choc out and about.)

She likes a latte and it does a pretty nice hands off froth job.  Sometimes I’ll make a short aeropress brew as a base (see Hoffman’s useful how to higher up this thread).
When Lady Mud does it herself, she’s happy with decent instant, meaning it’s a pour, spoon press operation, push the button – wait and it’s done.

My local high end coffee place @ikigaicoffe.brighton (lovely pour over) make an amazing “premium” latte with a “distilled” milk they make in house. It’s creamier/ thicker.
That gave me the idea of using a small scoop of 75% fat coconut milk powder as an addition. It goes down very well with her indoors.
I’m a black coffee lover myself. Filter, if out. Aeropress at home. Wilfa Svart grinder (thanks Dave Gould).

Generally Kontext Coffee beans from skilled roaster Mrs Geometron (really, Katja is the wife of Geometron co owner Marcel) . She also  has a rarely found excellent decaf for afternoon drinking.
https://www.kontextcoffee.com/

enjoy the quest.

I agree on the pods; they’re hateful things even if the coffee’s good enough.

A cafetière likely doesn’t make coffee that’s concentrated enough for what you want. An Aeropress is a very good compromise if you don’t have space for an espresso machine with steam wand. It’s also much quicker and easier to clean than a cafetière.

We also used one of those electric milk frothers (a Lavazza A Moda Mio) for a while. It is a minor pain to clean but does produce heated milk with some froth.

We eventually continued down the slippery slope and found space for a Gaggia Classic a couple of years ago. That’s where we’ve stayed.