“Can I have a triple espresso flat white made on a bottomless filter please ?” You what ? OK ! let me decipher. Usually, you can get a single or a double espresso in your milk based drink, mainly because the portafilter (where the coffee is ground into and placed into the espresso machine) can take a minimum of a single espresso and a maximum of a double espresso. However, I learnt that at Flat White, Berwick Street, Soho, London they had a special triple espresso portafilter, which means you can order a triple espresso shot. A Flat White (from which the shop is named) is an Australian Version of a Latte, but with less frothed milk. I also learnt that they sometimes use a bottomless filter, which means that the portafilter does not have a base under the coffee basket – Am I loosing you in this jargon ? Making espresso in a bottomless filter means that the coffee is extracted straight from the machine into your coffee cup, without touching any metal. So in essence, you are getting quite a pure pour and the taste should be sublime. So, on a recent visit to Flat White coffee shop, I made this order and watched the event. The top barista and co-owner, Cameron, was really helpful. Here is the beginning of the pour for the latte art;
And here is the final version – almost too good to drink, but lovely as a picture.
They also use bottomeless portafilters at my other favourite coffee shop in Cape Town, Origins Coffee Roasting, which I have a picture of and will share with you some other time God willing !
So ! if you get a chance to be brave and show off to your friends, forget that stuff about skinny soya latte, etc and order a triple shot espresso latte or flat white.
From Coffee With Love 