Drinking a frappé can be quite satisfying, especially on a hot summer day. Do you know what is a Frappé?
It is an iced drink that has been shaken, blended, or beaten to create a flavorful, foamy, and energizing beverage. It is typically served cold and topped with whipped cream. Ice, as well as special ingredients like sugar, milk, vanilla, and sweet sauces, can be added either before or after the coffee has been beaten.
Learn more about the definition of a Frappé and how it differs from other types of coffee.
Read more: What Is A Cappuccino? What Is Espresso?
What Exactly Is A Frappé?
A frappe, which is a cold blended drink akin to a slushie (the name means “beaten” in French), technically lacks a single recipe. In France, coffee, ice cream, and ice may be blended together; in Greece, sweetened coffee may be served, shaken until foamy, and poured over ice cubes; and in America, coffee may be blended with milk, sugar, and ice, then topped with whipped cream. While a fruit frappé is made by blending fruit juice with fruit and ice, a mocha frappé has a hint of chocolate added, but a frappé may not even contain any coffee.
Frappé: Coffee Or Not?
Although coffee has traditionally been used to make a frappe, there are countless other flavorful frappe drinks that can be made using teas, juices, or even hot chocolate. This well-known blended icy drink, which got its start in Europe decades ago, has many different variations. The word frappé comes from the French verb Frappé which means to slap, knock, or beat.
History Of Frappé
Numerous cold coffee drinks named “café frappé” go back to the 19th century. Others tasted more like iced coffee while some were similar to slushies.
At the International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki in 1957, the Greek version of the café frappé, made with instant coffee, was created. A Nestlé employee was demonstrating a brand-new kid’s product—a chocolate drink made instantly by combining it with milk and shaking it in a shaker. Another employee was looking for a way to enjoy his usual break time instant coffee, but when he couldn’t find any hot water, he mixed the coffee with cold water and ice cubes in a shaker. This improvisation led to the creation of this well-known Greek beverage. One of the most well-known drinks in Greece, Frappé has been marketed primarily by Nestlé and is offered in almost all Greek cafes.
Even though a café frappé is most often associated with the Greek instant coffee version today, the rest of the world has adopted the espresso version over the past 20 years. This version involves simply shaking a double espresso with some white sugar (shaker 2/3 full of ice) and pouring it directly into a glass.
Frappuccino has been imported by foreign travelers to their home countries, where it has been modified. In Denmark, cold milk is frequently substituted for tap water, while Coca-Cola is occasionally used in Bulgaria. In Serbia, Frappé is typically made with milk or ice cream.
Variations Of Frappé
Coffee shops made a major effort to stand out from the competition after the global café culture took off. There are many variations of the frappuccino-filled cafes everywhere!
While almost everyone else in the world seems to prefer using espresso, Greeks prefer to drink traditional frappes and make them with coffee granules (instant). Just before serving, double espresso is poured into a glass with ice and sugar. Along with other liqueurs, Kahlua is a popular addition to the beverage at some coffee shops. Other establishments prefer to top theirs off with ice cream. Bulgarians favor mixing cola in their frappes as opposed to water. In Denmark, people prefer to drink cold milk to water. In addition to frequently including whipped cream, Serbians frequently use ice cream.
Coffee Frappé Recipe
- 200ml strong coffee, chilled
- 50ml whole milk
- 1-3 tsp sugar syrup (see recipe above)
- ice cubes
- ice cream or whipped cream to serve (optional)
- Add the milk, two or three handfuls of ice cubes, and coffee to a blender. Starting with a small amount, stir in as much sugar syrup as you’d like; if you’d prefer it to be sweeter, add more at the very end.
- Blend until the ice has become a foamy, icy slush. Pour into a glass, and if desired, top with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.
Frappé Versus Smoothies And Coffee Drinks
What distinguishes a frappe from a smoothie, iced coffee, or iced cappuccino? A frappé is blended longer until a thick foam has formed and the ice is thoroughly mixed. Crushed ice can be added to a frappé after it has been shaken in a cocktail shaker with coffee or whole ice cubes. No matter whether there is foam or not, smoothies or iced cappuccinos are blended to the desired ice consistency. Strong coffee served on ice is frequently served as iced coffee rather than beaten coffee. It’s frequently challenging to tell the difference between an iced cappuccino and a frappuccino because of how similar the blending processes are.
Frappé Versus Frappuccino
The Frappé and the Frappuccino confuse a lot of people because the majority of them believe they are the same thing, but they are actually completely different!
Although Starbucks has trademarked the Frappuccino, the iced cappuccino wasn’t invented by them. The Coffee Connection introduced the drink in 1992 as a mixture of coffee, milk, sugar, coffee, and ice that was then mixed in a frozen yogurt machine to give it a very creamy and smooth texture. In order to create the Frappuccino you are familiar with today, Starbucks altered the original recipe after buying the business in 1994.
Frappé Versus Latte
Now that you are aware of what frappes and lattes are, you should concentrate on their differences. Learn about the main variations between these tasty beverages, including information about caffeine and temperature, by reading on.
1. Temperature
The temperature is the main distinction between a frappe and a latte. The texture of the two drinks is also impacted by this. A frappe is a cold blended beverage, as you read above. Despite typically being served hot, lattes can also be ordered iced. Frappes use pre-made coffee that is added to the blender, whereas lattes also call for the pulling of espresso shots.
2. Different Ingredients
Because it prevents the ice from melting before being blended, room temperature coffee is used in frappes. Additionally, it makes the beverage thicker than if hot coffee or espresso had been used. A frappe may also contain a dairy product with high-fat content, such as whole milk or half and half. The thick consistency is preserved as a result. In contrast, lattes can be made with skim, 2%, whole, or occasionally even milk substitutes.
3. Texture And Taste
The consistency of a frappe will be creamier, thicker, and much colder than that of a latte. As a result of the small ice chips that frappes contain, which alter their texture profile, lattes are smoother than frappes.
Due to the addition of simple syrup, a frappe will be sweeter than a latte. The flavoring added to a frappe will taste sweeter than the flavor added to a latte because of the addition of this simple syrup. For two reasons, lattes have a stronger coffee flavor than frappes. A frappe contains water in the form of ice, which slightly mutes the coffee flavor. Lattes, on the other hand, use strong espresso in place of instant coffee.
4. Caffeine Level
Frappes and lattes both contain caffeine, but lattes are slightly more. The amount of caffeine in lattes ranges from 75 to 150 mg, depending on the size. Frappes can contain anywhere between 65 and 125 mg.