Frappuccino

Frappuccino

A Venti Peppermint Java Chip Frappuccino
Type	Cold Beverage
Country of origin	USA
Introduced	1995
Color	Light or dark Brown in the Coffee Versions, but the color can vary from green, chocolate, orange, and pink in the cream version of this drink.

Frappuccino is a trademarked line of blended coffee beverages sold by Starbucks. It consists of coffee blended with ice and various other ingredients, usually topped with whipped cream. Frappuccinos are also sold as bottled coffee beverages in stores and from vending machines.

History

Frappuccino is a portmanteau of frappé and cappuccino, an espresso coffee with frothed milk. It is unclear whether frappé is taken from frappé, a Greek iced coffee, or from the Boston area term for a thick milkshake frappé (pronounced "frap"), both of which come from the French word frappé. The original Frappuccino beverage was developed, named, trademarked and sold by George Howell's Eastern Massachusetts coffee shop chain, The Coffee Connection. When Starbucks purchased The Coffee Connection in 1994, they also gained the rights to use, make, market, and sell the Frappuccino beverage, and soon after began to sell the beverage chain-wide.

In response to the success of Frappuccinos, several Starbucks' competitors have developed similar drinks with similar sounding names but only Starbucks can legally use the "Frappuccino" trademark. Similar frozen coffee drinks were served starting in 1988 by the Seattle chain Cinnabon under the names Mochalatta and Caramelatta.^{[citation needed]} Coffee Break is one. Gloria Jean's offers a similar frozen coffee drink but calls them Chillers.

Varieties

"Light"

In 2004, Starbucks created a "Light" version which according to the company has 54% of the calories, 17% of the fat (0.5 g vs 3 g) and 52% of the carbohydrates of the original.

Decaffeinated

Decaffeinated Frappuccinos were discontinued in 2008 and made available again in 2010.

Crème

Alternatively, a coffee-free "cream" base was created to make a beverage called a Frappuccino Blended Crème. Examples of these beverages include the Green Tea Frappuccino and the popular Strawberries and Cream Frappuccino.

Vegan

Starting in May 2010, Frappuccinos using soy milk have become available in stores in the United States and Canada. In January 2011 Starbucks introduced this option to Australian stores.

Available versions

The following is a list of the typical versions available of each type of Frappuccino.

Juice Blends

In the 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 Tazoberry "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. Juice Blends were discontinued in 2007–2008, with the Pomegranate the first to go. The Tangerine Juice Blend was discontinued shortly thereafter. The drinks in this category included:

• Pomegranate (raspberry and blackcurrant in UK & Ireland) - Pomegranate, peach and "other fruit juices" combined with 'Zen' Iced Tea. Pomegranate Frappuccino Juice Blend has been discontinued in the US.
• Tangerine (mango passionfruit in UK and Ireland)- Tangerine and "other fruit juices". combined with Passion Iced Tea. Tangerine Frappuccino Juice Blend has been discontinued in the US.
• Blended Strawberry Lemonade - A combination of strawberry puree and lemonade.
• Lemonade Blended Beverage - Fresh lemonade flavor with real lemon zest, blended with ice. Introduced in the US in the Summer of 2008. A "Lemon" version of the chilled beverage was introduced to UK stores in June 2010, following a minor menu change and price increases across the majority of the ranges sold.

The Lemonade Blended Beverage was made with a proprietary Blended Lemonade base that consisted of real lemon zest and was thicker than the lemonade that is currently used for Iced Tea Lemonades. This Blended Lemonade Base was discontinued in the fall of 2008. A Blended Lemonade can still be bought at Starbucks, however it will be made with the "old" lemonade, and thus be a different taste and consistency.^{[citation needed]}

Modifications

As the varieties of drinks listed above show, many drinks include additional ingredients, which can include espresso shots, flavored syrups, brownie chips, and flavored powders. Frappuccinos can also be double blended, or made with more or less ice. Mocha drizzle is added to the Java Chip and Double Chocolaty Chip by standard, and caramel drizzle is added to the Caramel. Any drink can have an additional syrup/espresso or many other flavorings added at request for an additional charge.

Yet another modification, though less popular, is to order the Frappuccino "affogato style". The Italian word "affogato" translates to "drowned" in English. An affogato Frappuccino has a shot of espresso on top rather than blended into the rest of the drink. 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.

International varieties

There are also different versions available only in certain countries, such as Banana Java Chip and Mango, Azuki in the Philippines and azuki (red bean) in Japan. Blackberry Green Tea Frappuccino is currently available in the Philippines and Australia. Another variation found in Japan is the Sakura (cherry blossom) Frappuccino. The Coffee Jelly Frappuccino was formerly a seasonal offering in the Philippines but later is now part of the standard menu. Coconut Mocha Frappuccino is available in the US. Argentina offers a Dulce de Leche Frappuccino. In Peru, as of 2011, there is the Algarrobina Frappuccino, made with Algarrobina, a syrup derived from the Black carob tree.

Bottled version

A mocha flavored, bottled Frappuccino.

A bottled beverage, also called Frappuccino, is sold in retail stores and vending machines. The US 9.5-ounce bottled version is manufactured by PepsiCo, the maker of Pepsi. In Europe this product is made by Arla Foods in Denmark. This product uses a different recipe from that of the blended drink of the same name.

The following flavors are available:

• Caramel - the most popular flavor made with a hint of caramel flavoring
• Mocha - made with chocolate
• Mocha Lite - made with chocolate and special creme to make it less fattening
• Vanilla - a hint of vanilla flavoring
• Coffee - similar to iced coffee
• Strawberries & Crème - crème based and coffee-free
• Mint Mocha (Limited Edition) - Since its addition in July 2005, it has appeared during the holiday seasons.
• Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha (Limited Edition) - Just like mint mocha but with extra chocolate and mint flavor. New for the 2007 holiday season and re-released for the 2008 holiday season.
• Dark Chocolate Mocha - Just like Mocha but with extra chocolate. Released February 2008.
• Dark Mocha Raspberry (Limited Edition)- Dark chocolate with a hint of raspberry. Released August 2008.

See also

• George Howell (entrepreneur)#Starbucks buyout

External links

• Starbucks Official Website