I’ve
been hearing a lot lately about “flat whites” and didn’t have a clue what they
were. At first I thought the term must refer to a casual white shoe to wear
around the pool between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Or could it mean a house
paint without a gloss? Then I thought perhaps it was an egg with no yolk cooked
over easy. Now, thanks, to the inexhaustible font of information provided by
the indispensable Wikipedia, I learn that a flat
white is a beverage.
It is,
in fact, a coffee beverage that was developed in Australia and New Zealand
about 35 or 40 years ago. It is concocted by pouring what is known as
“microfoam”—milk steamed with a wand to produce very fine bubbles—over a shot
of espresso. Similar to a latte, it
is smaller in volume and has a greater proportion of coffee to milk. It may
provide a canvas for latte art.
Its
name comes from the thin, flat layer of white microfoam, as opposed to thicker
layers in lattes and cappuccinos.
If you have any more questions about flat whites, please apply at the
nearest Starbucks.
With all that mlik, a flat white probably qualifies as a “cat-lap.” That is a British Victorian term for tea or coffee that was used disdainfully by those who preferred beer and stronger liquors as their beverage. Sometimes really hearty topers even used the term to refer to champagne.
The
Bard of Buffalo Bayou likes his coffee just like the verses he writes: strong,
dark, bitter, and unpalatable.
I
like coffee,
It
suits me
More
than toffee,
Toast,
or tea.
Make
it black,
Make
it bitter,
It
will smack
A
tic or jitter.
Make
it strong,
Yes,
oh yes, oh
How
I long
For
an espresso.
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