Recipe: Mocha frappuccino

A coffee-shop favourite made right at home

Method 

•  Mix the coffee, milk, condensed milk, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, cream, vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup together in a blender.

•  Top the blender off with ice and blend the ingredients until they form a smooth liquid.

•  Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles. Serve chilled.

The Frappuccino turns 20



It was back in the summer of 1994 that consumers began to draw away from chilled powder juices and blended coffee drinks became all the rage. Coffee houses across America were experimenting with the concept, hoping to sustain their finances during the summer months when warm coffee did not fare too well. Starbucks, America’s leading coffee house, pioneered the trend upon its acquisition of The Coffee Connection in Boston with which it inherited the acclaimed Frappuccino. Applying its research and development experience to the name, it eventually launched the Frappuccino as we know it today: a cold coffee slush suitable for both coffee drinkers and non-drinkers.

The fact that the new blend, commonly referred to as ‘Frap,’ was served chilled made for excellent financial gains. Soon, it became the new fad, raking in more customers than expected. In fact, Fraps became so popular that its Seattle-based parent company decided to launch it in glass bottles for grocery stores across America. Interestingly, Frappuccino initially came in two main flavours, namely coffee bean and mocha. The additional toppings that are now available, such as whipped cream and caramel drizzle, were introduced much later. The flavours range from Red Bean to Green Tea Frappuccino. Other variations, like blended Crème (Sans any coffee or tea ingredients) and However You Want Frappuccino (which allows customers to select their own toppings) followed soon after.

This year, Frappuccino turned 20 and boasts of 36,000 different types, sold in all 66 of the countries its parent company operates in alone. So the next time you are sipping this staple summer drink, take a moment to appreciate how it evolved through the years and more importantly, revolutionised coffee consumption forever.

Published in The Express Tribune, Ms T, October 11^th, 2015.