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

Christ, so much pretentious bollocks about a milky coffee!

There is, but not on this thread. Coffee, like bikes, cars, wine, music, food etc can be good or it can be shit. You must appreciate that, surely? The OP wants to find the best coffee available for the least amount of money and faff – I can’t really criticise them for that.

I went to get a flat white last week but they wouldn’t do one as “receive had their own interpretation”

I’m under the impression it’s a recipe/ratio thing with no interpretation?

40ml espresso

120ml milk

I’m under the impression it’s a recipe/ratio thing with no interpretation?

The Aussies and Kiwis are still scrapping over who invented it, let alone agreeing on an exact recipe!  There are loads of slight variations, even in the best coffee shops. It’s typically a double espresso with steamed micro-foam milk, but without the ‘froth’ you get with other espresso milk drinks. The exact ratio varies, but it has a stronger coffee hit than a latte or cappuccino.

Wow, as predicted by someone up thread, I’ve disappeared down a rabbit hole…that James Hoffman video implies far too much faffing to me. I appreciate that many others enjoy the ritual/process involved but I tend towards laziness and impatience so I’m thinking a small (takes up minimum counter space*) espresso/steamer might be the answer.

So any specific “all in one” devices at the lower end of the price spectrum I should look out for (and any I should specifically avoid as they are crap)? Ease/speed of use is priority rather than absolute quality. And Mrs Vlad isn’t a coffee drinker so I don’t need high capacity.

Also, why don’t people just buy pre-ground coffee? (I’m not sure of purpose of owning your own grinder…)

* I’ll hide or dispose some of the gadgets Mrs Vlad clogs up our kitchen counter space with when she’s lot at work 😉

A second hand Gaggia baby/classic even de longhi Icona probably £30 would do but a bit plastic but without the grinder no control over how much spurting of the espresso everywhere if it’s a crappy rough supermarket grind

Also, why don’t people just buy pre-ground coffee? (I’m not sure of purpose of owning your own grinder…)

Pretty much the same reason that, given the choice, most people don’t eat tinned vegetables.

Also, why don’t people just buy pre-ground coffee? (I’m not sure of purpose of owning your own grinder…)

Reason 1.  Coffee starts to lose its flavour and stales much more rapidly once ground.  Freshly roasted beans, ground just before you brew will taste night and day better than pre-ground commodity coffee. If that’s important to you. If it’s not and you just want a caffeine hit, then pre-ground may work for you.

Reason 2. You can’t make genuine espresso with pre-ground as it’s not fine enough. You can make a dumbed down version if you use a pressurised basket, but proper espresso needs very finely ground coffee and the ability to make small adjustments to the grind size to dial in each new coffee.

Faffy? Yes. Worth it for the best achievable flavour? Yes.

@bloke…

Can you define “rapidly”?

If I get small batches of very finely ground coffee from a local roaster every couple of weeks, would I notice??

(Probably not as I haven’t gone all-in coffee snob…yet)

If I get small batches of very finely ground coffee from a local roaster every couple of weeks, would I notice??

No, possibly not depending on how ‘acquired’ your taste is. They will likely offer you an espresso grind too so a very good compromise, it’s what I do for AeroPress coffee (which is minimal faff once you get used to it). It’s pre ground supermarket coffee that’s no good in this situation.