Flat White Vs Americano – Here’s What You Should Know

Here is the thing:

If you love coffee, you better understand the different coffee drinks. You will not only impress your coffee friends, but you will also be able to switch your coffee drinks depending on how you are feeling.

To help you further your coffee prowess, we are comparing the most popular coffee drink in South Korea; the Americano, and one of Australasia’s gift world, the Flat White.

We will touch on the origin story, ingredients, preparation process, and how the two differ in taste.

In the end, it should be easier to choose, order and if you want, prepare any of the two drinks.

Let’s get started.

Flat White Vs Americano

The major difference between a Flat White and an Americano is the ingredients. A Flat White is a combination of espresso and velvety microfoam (finely textured steamed milk). Americano, on the other hand, is an espresso diluted with hot water. Unlike Flat White, an Americano does not contain milk.

Apart from that, an Americano does contain steamed milk like a Flat White, there is more to these two drinks.

Let’s start with a simple table comparing the origin, ingredients, caffeine content, calories, and taste of these two coffee beverages.

	Flat White	Americano
Origin	Down Under	Italy
Ratios	1/3 espresso and 2/3 micro foamed milk	1 part espresso: 1-4 parts hot water
Number of espresso shots	2	1-2
Serving size	8 to 20 Oz	8 to 20 Oz
Caffeine content	126 mg	63-126 mg
Calories	100-300	5-15
Toppings	None	Milk
Taste	Rich mouthfeel. Sweet. Strong espresso flavor.	Dilute espresso. Flavors depend on the beans.

5 Key Differences Between Flat White Vs Americano

1. Origin

Now:

Both the Flat White and the Americano have interesting origin stories.

First:

The Flat White originated Down Under, with both Kiwis and Aussies claiming its ownership.

One origin story says the drink came about when some customers started asking for a Cappuccino without the foamy top.

There is also another origin account that attributes the discovery of a Flat White to a barista who tried frothing low-fat milk only but failed.

When the barista used the milk to make a Cappuccino it was labeled as “failed” because of the flat top.

What is American about the Americano?

The Americano or Caffè Americano came from Italy. One origin theory says Italian Baristas made the drink for American World War II Soldiers who found the Italian espresso too strong.

Another origin theory claims it’s the soldiers who started adding water to espresso shots to make a larger drink like the brewed coffee back at home.

That’s why:

Caffè Americano is often called a watered-down version of the Italian Caffè or espresso. Or simply, an Americanized espresso.

2. Ingredients

Look:

A Flat White is one of the many espresso+milk combo drinks such as the Cappuccino and Latte, while the Americano is one of the coffee drinks without milk such as the Black coffee, Long black, and Lungo.

An Americano contains 1 or 2 espresso shots and filtered hot water.

The ratio of espresso to water will depend on how strong or dilute you want the drink to be. For some people, it’s 1:1 and 1:2 while others add as much as 1:15.

Since the signature feature of the Americano is diluting espresso, it is one of the easiest espresso drinks to make.

Note:

Americano Misto is an Americano with a splash of milk on top, while Iced Americano contains cold water.

Unlike the Americano, which even a complete beginner can prepare – as long as you know how to pull espresso, making a Flat White is harder.

Why?

A Flat White has 1 or 2 shots of espresso and 3 parts of steamed milk.

Unlike other espresso+milk combo drinks that mainly focus on the ratios of the ingredients, the focus in Flat White is on steaming the milk.

To achieve a microfoam with a silky texture, the air is carefully introduced into the milk before the temperatures hit 100 °F.

That’s why making a Flat White is a challenge to most baristas. It’s why it’s rare to get a perfectly made cup of Flat White.

3. Taste

Now:

Since the Americano is a diluted espresso, it has an espresso taste. However, it’s not as strong or rough as bare Espresso shots.

Because hot water is added to the espresso (and not vice versa) the water dissolves some of the crema and its properties, distributing the crema properties throughout the cup.

That’s why an Americano does not have much of the mouth-coating foam you experience when drinking an Espresso.

Fun Fact:

The flavorful crema on top of espresso is usually more bitter than the espresso.

A Flat White has a prominent espresso flavor and is slightly sweet. The microfoam gives the drink a thick velvety texture.

4. Serving

Unlike a Macchiato or Cortado, which are typically served in one size, both Americano and Flat White are available in different sizes.

The standard serving size of a latte containing 2 shots of espresso and 4 ounces of steamed milk is 8 Oz. Sizes gradually increase and can go up to 20 Oz, for a latte containing 3 shots of espresso.

On the other hand:

An Americano can be as small as 4 ounces when 2 shots of espresso and an equal amount of water is added and 20 ounces when it has 4 shots of espresso.

5. Nutritional value

Now:

Unlike Flat White, Americano does not contain steamed milk.

Thus, Americano has between 5 and 20 calories from the espresso and 0 sugar. On the other hand, a small 8 Oz white flat serving has about 110 calories, and 290 calories for a 20 Oz serving.

That’s why:

An Americano is it’s a great option for calories conscious and people who don’t love espresso milk drinks.

Americano is also the perfect drink if you love espresso but want something to savor for a while or if you love the aroma of espresso but it’s too strong for you.

When the number of Espresso shots is constant, Flat White and an Americano have the same amount of caffeine. 63 mg when it contains 1 espresso shot and 126 mg when it contains 2 espresso shots.

Conclusion

As you can see, Flat White and Americano are two totally different coffee drinks. Here is a recap of their differences:

• The Flat White originated in Australia and New Zealand, while Americano is Italian.
• The Americano does not contain steamed milk, like the Flat White.
• A Flat White has more calories than an Americano.
• The Americano is made by diluting espresso with hot water
• Flat Whites contain a third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk.
• An Americano is easier to make than a Flat White
• Because of the steamed milk, a Flat White is sweeter than an Americano.

And that is it for this comparison. I hope I have answered all the questions you had about these two espresso drinks. If there is something I did not cover, leave a comment in the section below.

Also, share with me your experience when you try any of the two drinks.

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