No more “large” flat whites: Is it time to standardise milk drinks?

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Key takeaways

• The size of milk-based coffee drinks, like the flat white, varies significantly across countries, chains, and independent cafés.
• The definitions of cappuccino and latte have changed considerably across history and geography.
• Larger flat white sizes blur the line with lattes, confusing customers.
• Full standardisation seems unlikely given regional differences in taste and preference.

The flat white has always been somewhat elusive. Many claim it originated in New Zealand, while others insist Australia is the true birthplace. One thing is certain, though: it’s now one of the most ordered drinks in coffee shops worldwide.

Despite its popularity, there’s little agreement on the flat white’s exact size. “For me, the ideal flat white is a 160-180 ml drink with a double espresso that yields around 40-45 grams maximum,” says Tibor Hámori, the 2025 Belgian Cup Tasters Champion and a barista at Caffenation in Antwerp, Belgium.

Specialty standards generally place the flat white smaller than a latte (and sometimes a cappuccino), yet many chains, and some independents, still offer “small” and “large” versions. This choice confuses customers, as documented in a “Petty Gripes” article in The Guardian earlier this year. When a customer orders a flat white and receives a drink double the expected size, remakes become far more likely. This slows baristas down, increases waste, and ultimately spoils the customer experience.

The confusion points to a bigger issue for specialty coffee: whether to standardise its milk drinks. Doing so would better inform customers and help baristas guide people toward the drinks they actually want. But the debate over sizing standards raises more questions than it answers.

You may also like our article on how much microfoam each milk-based drink should have.

Why is there so much inconsistency in the size of milk drinks?

Variation between coffee shops is nothing new. Order the same drink in two different cities, or even two doors down, and you’ll likely notice some difference. But milk-based beverages tend to vary the most. The size of a drink, and even the depth of its microfoam, often trace back to both history and modern customer preferences.

Take the cappuccino. According to James Hoffmann’s World of Coffee, it began in Viennese coffee houses in the 1800s as a small drink made from brewed coffee mixed with milk or cream, coloured to match the robes worn by Capuchin monks. 

Italy reshaped the drink in the 1900s into what most people now recognise as a cappuccino. The Italian National Espresso Institute defines it as 25ml of espresso topped with 100ml of steamed milk. Made this way, the drink keeps its espresso and milk foam in separate layers, with a domed white top and an espresso-stained rim.

Today, the cappuccino looks very different. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) now defines it as a 150-180ml drink, with a single espresso shot and steamed milk, requiring at least 1cm of microfoam.

The latte tells a similar story. It started in 17th-century Europe as plain coffee with milk, then evolved once it reached the US. Today’s version typically sits between 236ml and 340ml (8oz-12oz), topped with around 0.5cm of microfoam.

“You see massive differences, which sometimes give rise to completely different size options,” Tibor says. “I’m not a big milk drink consumer, but I have seen lattes over 300ml in specialty coffee shops, whereas I think the standard should be around 250ml.”

The “large” flat white debate

Coffee’s most established drinks, like the cappuccino and latte, vary depending on where you order them, and more modern milk drinks are no exception – especially the flat white.

Reddit forums call it the “most undefined drink” in coffee, and the confusion runs deep: baristas and customers alike can struggle to agree on its size, texture, espresso-to-milk ratio, and microfoam depth.

“In my opinion, the size of a flat white varies by country in Europe, but within borders, it’s mostly consistent,” Tibor says. “Comparing Hungary and Belgium, for example, when I started working in the specialty coffee scene in Hungary, it was typically served in a glass and was 180ml maximum. 

“My experience is that a flat white in Belgium is slightly larger, by about 20-30ml, and is usually served in a cup.”

Larger chains have added to the confusion. Many now offer a “large” flat white alongside the standard size, a move that strays from the drink’s Antipodean roots and blurs the line between a flat white and a latte.

This ambiguity shapes how customers experience the drink. Someone who orders a “large flat white” expecting something latte-sized, only to receive a smaller, more concentrated one, will likely feel misled.

The knock-on effects for coffee shops are real too. Satisfaction drops, baristas grow frustrated, and waste piles up as remakes become more frequent.

Should specialty coffee standardise milk drinks?

Closer alignment on milk drink sizes would benefit the coffee industry. A shared, more refined reference point would improve consistency and help baristas and café owners guide customers towards the drink that actually matches what they want.

In practice, though, this would be difficult to achieve. Preferences shift considerably from market to market. Asian and US consumers tend to favour larger drinks with more milk, while Australian and European customers lean towards smaller ones.

“If you travel a lot and cover long distances, like my trip from Europe to Asia this year, you notice that milk drinks vary a lot,” Tibor says. “They can be up to 50ml larger in Asia than in Belgium, which means a 70ml difference compared to Hungary.”

A fixed size risks alienating customers used to a different norm, and their needs come first. “Customers will always dictate what they want based on their own tastes, and the industry will mostly follow that,” Tibor says. “At the end of the day, we are there for the guests and to serve them, not the other way around.”

Agreeing on size would raise further questions too, including how much microfoam qualifies, what milk-to-espresso ratio defines the drink, and even what vessel it should be served in.

Milk quality and temperature are drawing more attention from baristas partly because these factors shape the finished drink just as much as size does. Microfoam texture, in the same way, is arguably as central to a flat white’s identity as its weight and milk-to-espresso ratio.

The definitions of different milk drinks are shaped by history, geography, and shifting customer tastes rather than by a universal standard.

While clearer definitions could ease confusion and reduce wasted remakes, customer preference will always be the priority. For now, the flat white stays open to interpretation.

Need more leads for your coffee business? Get in touch with PDG Media, our marketing agency dedicated to specialty coffee, here.

Flat white FAQs

Where did the flat white originate?
Its origins remain disputed. Some credit New Zealand, others Australia. Regardless of its birthplace, the flat white has become one of the most ordered coffee drinks worldwide, despite little agreement on its ideal size.

Why do milk drink sizes vary so much between coffee shops?
Size differences stem from history and regional taste. Milk drinks can be up to 50ml larger in Asia than in Europe, showing how distance and market preferences shape what is considered standard.

Should the coffee industry standardise milk drink sizes?
Standardisation could reduce customer confusion and cut down on remakes, but customer taste ultimately drives what baristas serve, and any fixed size risks alienating drinkers used to different norms.

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