Flat Black

Antipodean shorthand for a black coffee in a flat-white cup: a double espresso lengthened with a little hot water. Not a standardised drink - ask what a given café means by it.

Method

Espresso

Typical volume

150 ml

Caffeine

130 mg

A reference figure for the drink, not a measurement of your cup.

Flat Black preparation

Pull a double espresso (18g in, 36g out) into a 150ml flat-white cup.
Add 60-80ml of water at 90°C down the side of the cup to keep the crema.
Taste before adding more - the drink sits deliberately between an espresso and a long black.

The term is not standardised: some cafés mean a long black in a flat-white cup, others just mean no milk. If you are ordering rather than making, say what you actually want.