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The frappe – a delicious beverage that is frequently confused with the Starbucks frappuccino. This coffee house favorite can be confusing to some new coffee drinkers. It seems like the type of drink that doesn’t have coffee. And the Starbucks frappuccino makes the frappe even more confusing.
Many people only familiar with the Frappuccino may ask their barista, “Do frappes have coffee?” For the traditional frappe, the answer is, yes. All frappes contain coffee, which is why the Frappuccino confuses many people who just want to enjoy a blended coffee drink.
We understand the confusion. We were confused by this same question for a long time. So, we decided to answer the question and end the confusion once and for all. In this article, we have put together all of the helpful information you need to confidently order a frappe at your local coffee shop. We will also take a brief look at the frappuccino and how it is different from the frappe.
To help you answer the question “do Frappes have coffee?”, we have put together this helpful article about frappes and how they are different from the Starbucks version.
Do Frappes Have Coffee?
The frappe is a popular blended drink that you will find at your local coffee shop. These tasty, chilled drinks seem more like a milkshake than a coffee drink. This sweet deliciousness leads many people to wonder if there is coffee in their frappe.
The “traditional” frappe is a cold drink that contains ice, milk, espresso (or strong instant coffee), flavoring and a splash of water. All of the ingredients are added to a blender and mixed to a milkshake consistency.
If you notice, the recipe for a regular frappe does contain espresso, further supporting our assertion that a frappe does contain coffee.
Some coffee shops may use a powdered or instant coffee product to make their frappe. Most instant coffee is simply brewed coffee that has been dehydrated. When you add milk and water to this product, it rehydrates and becomes liquid coffee again.
You may also find that some coffee shops use a coffee flavoring for their frappes. While this gives the desired result of a coffee flavored drink, many coffee enthusiasts will argue that this is not a frappe.
The strength of the coffee flavor in a frappe is manipulated by the amount of coffee added. In general however, most frappes have a mild coffee flavor, as they are intended to be more of a treat than a coffee drink.
Is a Frappuccino the same as a Frappe?
While it seems like the Frappuccino might be a frappe in disguise, when you get down to the ingredients, you will discover that these two drinks are not the same.
For a bit of history, the frappe was invented in the 1950s in Greece. The original drink idea came from a product researcher that was trying to develop new, tasty, coffee-based drinks. The original frappe was a mix of instant coffee, water, ice and milk. The ingredients were blended together, resulting in a creamy, coffee drink that was drunk through a straw.
The original Frappuccino was pretty close to a frappe, but instead of using instant coffee Starbucks used a specially brewed coffee for their Frappuccinos. Today however, there isn’t a lot of coffee in the Frappuccino.
Starbucks uses their special coffee blend, milk and ice for their coffee based Frappuccinos. But you also need to consider that you can get a variety of Starbucks Frappuccinos that contain no coffee at all.
So is a Frappuccino the same as a frappe? The best and simplest answer is, no! The frappe and frappuccino are not the same.
How Much Coffee is in a Frappé?
The amount of coffee used in making a traditional frappe really depends on the coffee house, the size of the frappe, and the type of coffee used.
Larger-sized frappes will have more coffee. Some coffee houses use espresso instead of coffee, so less is needed. You can also customize your frappe at most coffee shops, adding an additional quantity of coffee or another shot or two of espresso.
What are the ingredients in a frappe?
The frappe is a very simple coffee drink. The base ingredients are coffee or espresso, milk, ice, and a bit of water. You may want to add flavored syrups to your frappe for a bit of variety.
Which frappuccinos have coffee?
The Frappuccinos at Starbucks that is closest to a frappe include the coffee, espresso, vanilla, caramel, mocha, and java chip options. There are also seasonal frappuccino options that contain coffee.
Which frappuccinos don’t have coffee?
Frappuccinos that do not contain coffee are not frappes. They are a unique drink you can enjoy at Starbucks, but they are much different than a traditional frappe.
Frappuccinos that do not contain coffee is also called Frappuccino Blended Cremes. There are a wide variety of flavor options for the blended creme version of the Frappuccino.
Fan favorites include vanilla bean, strawberries & cream, green tea, and chai creme.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to enjoy a frappe at your local coffee shop, you now know what you are looking for. The frappe is a delicious coffee-based drink that is a great treat on a warm day.
Most coffee shops will make you a perfect frappe or you can easily make one at home. And if you are at your local Starbucks, remember that the Frappuccino is only a frappe if it contains coffee.