Frappuccino
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Frappuccino is the name and registered trademark of a Starbucks blended ice beverage and a bottled coffee-milk beverage.
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[edit] History
Though Starbucks claims their Frappuccino recipe originated in 1995 along Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade and launched April Fool's Day in 1995, an earlier Frappuccino traces its origins to Starbucks' acquisition of the Boston-based chain Coffee Connection which sold a similar frozen beverage at that time. But because Starbucks had acquired Coffee Connection before the debut of the drink, they posessed all legal rights to the term as well as the recipe.
The name of the drink is a portmanteau of "frappé" (French for "well chilled") or "frappe" (New England name for 'ice cream milkshake) and "cappuccino".
[edit] Varieties
[edit] Original
Combining coffee with water, milk and different syrups constitutes the mix used to blend with ice to make a frappuccino. The result is a drink with the consistency of almost a milkshake that is easily poured, but with almost a "slushie" consistency, a litle icy. Although coffee purists do not see frappuccino as a coffee drink, the original manages to retain a strong coffee flavour.
[edit] "Light"
In 2004, Starbucks modified the proprietary flavoring mixture and created a "Light" version (a reference to 'Diet'). This version cuts approximately half the calories, half the fat and about a third of the total carbs (which mainly come from sugar) compared to the "Original" version. This version is prepared the same way as the original version only using the modified flavoring mix. Just as the original version, this basic preparation can be ingested normally and retains the coffee flavor of the original.
[edit] Decaf
All coffee-based frappuccinos are also available in decaf by request. For decaf drinks, the frappuccino base is made up of a mix of the sweetener, flavor, and "decaffeinated" coffee. The decaffeination process cannot get rid of all of the caffeine and there is still a small amount remaining.
[edit] Crème
Alternatively, a caffeine-free, coffee-free "cream" base (what Starbucks calls Crème Beverage Base or CBB) was created to make the popular blended Crèmes. This was made to create a beverage that non-coffee drinkers could enjoy and still be able to "relax" in the coffeehouse atmosphere, thus still being able to enjoy what Starbucks calls the Third Place. This version is made by combining one part skim milk to one part CBB Powdered Mix (normally contains sugar, flavorings, thickeners and other minor proprietary ingredients). The CBB mix replaced a similar mixture called UBB, or Universal Beverage Base, in 2006. The most notable change between the two is that the newer CBB mixture does not require a "settling period" in which the UBB/milk combination would need to be chilled for a period of time to settle and thicken. Unlike the Coffee version, this prepared mix is not drinkable after just blending with ice; the result is a very disgusting bland "drink". Flavoring of some sort must be added before consuming. Liquid or powdered Tea is also used in some versions prepared at Retail locations, most of the time making the "Tea Blended Crème".
[edit] Tea
Starbucks previously offered a version of the Frappuccino that predominantly featured Tea, namely Tazo Tea. It was a concentrated Tea Mixture (ingredients were a minimal amount of juice, flavorings, sugar and Tazo green tea), which was blended with Ice. In mid 2003, these versions were completely discontinued, with the exception of Europe where Tazo Berry Blended Tea is still available. They were known as Tazo Citrus Blended Tea (Flavor of Tangerine, Orange and Lime) and Tazo Berry Blended Tea (Flavor of Raspberries). No details were released from the company as to why this decision was made, but the same year the Strawberries & Cream (see below) was introduced. These same drinks could also be blended with the CBB (or Crème) to make a drink that had a flavor of almost a cream mixed with the said flavor. Many remarked as tasting similar to a Creamsicle. These versions were known as Tazo Citrus Blended Créme and Tazo Berry Blended Créme. The naming scheme was to try and prevent confusion between the two drinks. Before Starbucks Acquired Tazo, the name of this drink was called Tiazzi (Still Featured the Berry Flavor), but the recipe was changed when Tazo was acquired. The drink was the same.
[edit] Available Versions
The following is a list of the typical versions available of each type of drink. For the sake of space, "Frappuccino" and Type of Drink will be removed from the drink's name, it normally comes/is stated directly after the flavor when calling a drink. Full name of first drink would be "Coffee Frappuccino Blended Coffee". Unless specified otherwise, it is normally served with whipped cream on top:
[edit] Blended coffee
- Coffee (This name is purposefully redundant due to clarification of flavor)- Basic version of the blended ingredients with no added flavorings. Normally served without whipped cream.
- Caramel - Same as coffee but with caramel syrup added, caramel drizzle on top of whipped cream.
- Mocha - Coffee version with chocolate syrup added.
- White Chocolate Mocha - Same as mocha, but regular chocolate syrup is substituted by white chocolate syrup.
- Java Chip - Same as mocha, but with "java chips" (dark chocolate bits) added before blending. Mocha sauce is normally served on top of whipped cream.
- Café Vanilla - Same as coffee, but with "Vanilla Bean" powder flavoring added.
- Syrup Frappuccino - Frappuccino with any kind of syrup available. Flavors include toffee nut, vanilla, raspberry, hazelnut, almond, and (seasonally) Pumpkin Spice, Maple, and Coconut.
[edit] Light Blended Coffee
All Blended Coffee Frappuccinos® are available with the "Light" modifier. The recipes are identical except that Light Coffee Base is used instead of the normal Coffee Base, and whipped cream is withheld. See Nutrition info below for more.
[edit] Blended Crème
The base mix for all Blended Crème Frappucinos® consists of Starbucks' proprietary Crème Beverage Base and cube ice mixed in proportion, with syrups, powders, and sauces added to create the different flavours. Unlike Blended Coffee Frappucinos®, there is no "plain" version; all Blended Crème Frappucinos® contain some additional ingredients, as follows:
- Strawberries & Crème - Base mix with strawberry fruit sauce.
- Vanilla Bean - Base mix with "Vanilla Bean" powder (containing sugar, natural and artificial vanilla flavor, and ground vanilla bean).
- Double Chocolate Chip - Base mix with mocha syrup and "java chips" (which contain cookie crumbs and chocolate)
- Tazo Chai - Base mix combined with chai tea concentrate.
- Green Tea - Base mix combined with matcha and melon syrup.
- Blackberry Green Tea - Base mix combined with matcha and blackberry syrup.
- Syrup Crème - Base mix combined with customer-specified choice of syrup (e.g. Raspberry Syrup Crème Frappucino®)
[edit] Blended Juices
In summer of 2006, Starbucks introduced the Frappuccino Juice Blend which is described as being "real fruit juices combined with Tazo Tea, Blended with ice". This version seems to be different from the "Blended Tea" versions of several years ago since it uses more "real juice" and "freshly brewed" ice teas to the drink instead of a bottled, premixed concentrate. Currently the drinks in this category include:
- Pomegranate - Pomegranate, peach and "other fruit juices" combined with Zen Iced Tea
- Tangerine - Tangerine and "other fruit juices" combined with Passion Iced Tea
[edit] Special Versions
Starbucks introduces special, Limited Time Offerings every quarter. Based on feedback from customers, these are occasionally added to the permanent menu. The following are some of the popular drinks that have been available:
- Peppermint Mocha Blended Coffee/Peppermint Double Chocolate Chip Blended Crème - Was originally introduced in the coffee flavor only at Christmas and was no longer available normally by Valentines day afterward. Peppermint flavor is added to the Mocha/DCC drinks. After positive customer feedback, Starbucks replaced the Crème de Menthe syrup with the Peppermint flavor so it would be available year round to anyone who requested it.
- Toffee Nut Blended Coffee/Toffee Nut Blended Crème - Starbucks introduced this flavor for a fall promotion with rave reviews by many customers. It consisted of adding Toffee Nut syrup to the Coffee Mix or to the Creme Mix, and then whipped cream and Toffee Nut Sprinkles on top. To the delight of customers, it was brought back the following fall, and the flavor was added to the permanent core offerings.
- Pumpkin Spice Blended Coffee/Pumpkin Spice Blended Crème - This drink was introduced in Fall of 2005. This drink consisted of a Pumpkin Spice syrup (flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg) added to the Coffee/Crème Mixes. Even though the demand for such a flavor seemed high, actual sales of the product was said to have been moderately low. The drink continues to be a seasonal beverage returning to some areas each year.
- Cinnamon Dolce Blended Coffee/Blended Crème - This drink was introduced in January 2006. It is very seasonal, only available for a very small period of time. The syrup tastes like sweet cinnamon buns.
- Maple Blended Coffee/Blended Crème - This drink was introduced fall 2006 and uses a Maple syrup, which is made with real maple syrup and topped with whipped cream and maple drizzle.
- Gingerbread Blended Coffee/Blended Crème - This drink was introduced Holiday 2000, and has a strong gingerbread cookie taste.
- Mint Mocha (Bottled) - This was a bottled version of a Starbucks Frappuccino that had similar consistency to other bottled frappuccinos and had a peppermint flavoring to it. Before it even hit stores in mid-2005, it was announced it would be a limited edition item, but did in fact sell very well. It did live up to the limited edition name and Starbucks dropped it in January 2006. Starbucks began selling the bottled drink again for the 2006/2007 Holiday season. There is no other bottled frappuccino on the market with this flavor or any similarity to this flavor.
All frappuccinos involving banana are seasonal to summer and fall.
- Banana Coconut - A coffee base with banana fruit sauce and coconut syrup added, with coconut flakes sprinkled on top of whipped cream.
- Banana Mocha - A coffee base with banana fruit sauce and mocha syrup added.
- Banana Caramel - A coffee base with banana fruit sauce and caramel flavored syrup with caramel sauce on the top of the whipped cream.
- Bananas & Crème - Base mix with banana fruit sauce.
- Note: Because of the all year-round availability of the Toffee Nut and Peppermint syrups, these drinks can still be made at any Starbucks location on request.
[edit] Discontinued Drinks
- Mocha Coconut Blended Coffee - At one point this drink was very popular, originally introduced with a summer theme in mind, it was Mocha with Coconut Syrup and Coconut Flakes blended in. In 2003, it was discontinued and all related ingredients were removed from stores. No similar drink existed on the Starbucks Menu for a long time. In The Summer 2006, Starbucks added the Banana Coconut Frappuccino® Blended Coffee, while it also contains Coconut, the drink itself is very different in how the Mocha Coconut is made. It does not contain coconut flakes in the drink, only sprinkled on top[1]. During the summers now, you may order this drink again by asking that the coconut flakes be blended into the drink.
- Mocha Chip Blended Coffee - Uses the Mocha Blended Coffee drink as a base and added "Mocha Chips". This drink was discontinued in 2003 along with the Mocha Coconut and all the special ingredients were removed from stores. The "Mocha Chips" are different texture and taste than the "Java Chips". It has even been said that the "Mocha Chips" had espresso added to the mixture while being produced. Java Chip Blended Coffee was supposed to have replaced Mocha Chip, but many people could tell the difference and no longer got that type of blended coffee.
- "POWER" - This was a special additive (in the form of a powder) that could be blended into any Frappuccino for an additional cost. It was similar to a "nutrition boost" that is available in some health stores, only the formula was said to be proprietary to Starbucks. It was claimed to have included many Vitamins/Minerals and "Energy Boosting" ingredients. In the coffee based drinks, the presence of the additive was quoted as being "minimal", if any. But in the "Tea" blended drinks (see above for the Tazo Citrus and Berry) drinks, it gave the drink a slightly lighter color (in the example of berry: pinkish) and a somewhat "chalky" consistency to the beverage. It was discontinued in 2002 with no information as to why. While some stores kept carrying it for several months later (assumed to be extra stock), at one point late in the year, it was not available at all. All questions were answered with "we had to send what we had back". No information was given if there was a recall or the product just "expired". No details have been released if there are plans to reintroduce a new "nutritional boost" additive at any point in the future. No similar additives currently exist available at Starbucks.
- Mint Mocha Chip Blended Coffee/Mint Chocolate Chip Blended Crème- introduced as a tenth anniversary blend. A mint chocolate syrup and chocolate chips were added to the coffee or crème base. It had a flavor distinct from the Peppermint Mocha Blended Coffee (as mentioned in previously). It was a special for the summer (although some locations had the syrup nearly a year). It is currently discontinued.
- Note: Java Chips are in fact the exact same thing as Mocha Chips, the name was changed for marketing reasons, and therefore all of the drinks (except the POWER ones) can still be made at a Starbucks upon request.
[edit] Modifications
As the varieties of drinks above show, many drinks include additional ingredients, which can include espresso shots, flavor syrups, "chocolate chip" cubes and flavor powders. If ordered in a Starbucks retail location, whipped cream is typically added on top as well as a "drizzle" on some drinks. Any drink can have an additional syrup/espresso or many other flavorings added at request for an additional charge. A popular modification is to order the Frappuccino "affogato style". Meaning literally "drowned" in Italian, an affogato Frappuccino has a shot of espresso on top rather than blended inside. The most common versions of this variation are known as "Caramel Affogato" and "Mocha Affogato" style, in which the espresso shot is poured on top of a crosshatch pattern of either caramel or mocha sauce in place of whipped cream.
[edit] Nutritional Information
Starbucks offers full nutrition information on their website, but some nutrition information to note:
- The Basic drinks are actually very low in fat. The average is 3-5 grams of fat for a 16oz Grandé.
- Whipped cream added to any drink is where the source of most of the drink's fat content lies. In comparison:
- A 16oz Grandé Caramel Frappuccino Blended Coffee with no whipped cream has 280 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, 57 grams of carbs, and 48 grams of sugar. However, with whipped cream, the nutritional values change to 430 calories, 16 grams of fat, 61 grams of carbs, and 52 grams of sugars. With the "Light" recipe and no whipped cream, the drink has 180 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 36 grams of carbs and 26 grams of sugar. While the blended créme is still "low in fat", it is not low in calories, carbohydrates, or sugar.
- The Créme is "made with" skim milk as part of the base, which does reduce the fat, the addition of the "CBB" mix to the milk radically changes the nutritional values due to the high amount of sugar used in part not only to flavor the drink, but to thicken it. This is why Starbucks only refers to the Créme as containing "milk", in an attempt to not misrepresent the drink by mentioning it is made using fat-free skim milk.
[edit] Bottled Version
A modified version of the Frappuccino is also available bottled without whipped cream or ice and are sold in retail stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, and Starbucks Retail stores. The 9.5 ounce bottled version is manufactured by PepsiCo, the maker of Pepsi. This product is not the same recipe as the blended drink, thus containing different proportions of ingredients as well as different nutritional values. The nutritional value can be acquired from Pepsi's Website.
According to Pepsi's website (as well as a special area on the Starbucks website), the following flavors are available:
- Mocha-made with chocolate
- Mocha Lite-made with chocolate and special creme to make it less fatty
- Vanilla-a hint of vanilla flavoring
- Coffee-similar to iced coffee
- Caramel-a twist of caramel in a delicious iced coffee
- Strawberries & Crème (Crème based; Coffee-free)
- Mint Mocha (Limited Edition) -- This was put on the market in July 2005 and dropped at the beginning of 2006.
Pepsi is hoping to strengthen their selection to include more crème beverages than only strawberry. Many hope for things like Oranges and Creme, Peaches in Creme, fruit and creme, and more. Hopefully, these options will be available soon.
[edit] Similar Products
Many restaurants selling ice cream or coffee have developed a drink similar to the Frappuccino, by a different name, often reminiscent of Starbucks'. These include Ben & Jerry's, Borders, Dairy Queen, Dunkin' Donuts, Friendly's, Gloria Jean's, and Tim Hortons. The Coffee Beanery also offers a "Frappalatte". In Israel, a similar product is sold in coffeehouses under the name café barad, Hebrew for hailstone coffee.[2]
[edit] Trivia
- In the movie Zoolander, several male supermodels order Orange Mocha Frappuccinos as a form of escapism. This was a limited time offering that was discontinued after summer, 2000. A similar drink could be ordered at any Starbucks by ordering a "Valencia Mocha Frappuccino" although that flavor of syrup has been discontinued.
- Frappuccino is cited by singer Nick Cave in the song "Abattoir Blues", from the double album Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus: "I woke up this morning / with a frappuccino in my hands".
- Rhyme Scheme, the famous native trip hop group from Miamisburg, once wrote a song devoted to drinking frappies in their song "Frapp Rapp (Get Busy Yo)."
- Vol. 3 from the Electrolite Diaries Vol. 45 as a form of transcendentalism combined with the sexual pleasure derived from a position known as frapping.
- Chester Bennington of Linkin Park demanded to know where his "Fuckin' Frappuccino" was in the Jay-Z / Linkin Park Collaboration Collision Course.
[edit] External Links
| Starbucks Corporation |
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Corporate Directors: Jim Donald | Barbara Bass | Howard Behar | Bill Bradley | Mellody Hobson | Olden Lee | Greg Maffei | Howard Schultz | James Shennan | Javier Teruel | Myron Ullman | Craig Weatherup |
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