Both, but mostly the milk. Aerate the whole milk for 1-3 seconds, depending on the size. This step is crucial for making a nice, velvety microfoam. Make sure you're pouring your risstretto shots almost as soon as you start your steam wand, you don't want your foam sitting for too long. Tap and polish your milk! You don't want any big bubbles and you want your foam shiny and a bit thick when you wobble it around. Now, start pouring higher than you would for a latte, with a stream about as thick as a pencil. Too fast and youll disrupt the crema, too slow and your foam will sit on top. If you notice a white patch, slowly move the stream of milk over it to push it back under. Now, as the milk rises up the up, your hand should be coming down to meet it at the end. As your hand gets closer, the foam will start to sit on top of the espresso instead of cutting under it. Gently tip the pitcher at the end and you should get a nice dot.

The milk is important for the nice texture, the pour is the style. Once you can get nice foam, you can start practicing more than just a dot! Feel free to message me with any questions!

Also I just wanted to add, if you watch latte art videos, you'll notice how they tip the cup and pour down the side, kinda like pulling a beer. I like to start my lattes/Flat whites this way. I find that it helps the initial unsettling of the crema and helps keep the air bubbles down. So I'd start almost touching the cup on an angle and then upright the cup and pull my hand up to create the distance needed to cut under the crema. Once you get your milk frothing down to a nice texture, play around a little bit with what works for you! And watch videos!

Making any proper espresso beverage requires all the right techniques/components. Steamed milk with glossy foam that is free of bubbles is important, and the way you pour it is crucial to the visual aesthetic. Ristretto shots have a sweeter profile, deeper color, and thicker crema than regular shots, so this impacts the way your drink tastes and looks. Pencil pouring your milk at a steady pace creates that dot in the center of a flat white. Start by pouring a bit of your milk on the internal side of the cup then brining your pour to the middle while maintaining a pencil-like thickness of milk as you continue to pour in the center to complete this beverage.

One of my favorites ever; we all love a good flat white! :)

A bit of both if we’re being honest.

Mainly it’s the slow pour and layering that will get you the flat white you know and love, but if you don’t carefully steam your milk it won’t turn out right. You want smooth milk that isn’t super foamy, otherwise it’ll give you a dot the size of Texas that’ll plop out and ruin the look.