My Big Fat Greek Frappe

Greece´s Tasty Ice-Coffee Variant

Me enjoying a famous frappe

I admit that I am a coffee addict. I am not trying to quit, either.  Anyone that sees me regularly usually sees me with a cup of  ‘black lightning’ in my hand.  I love the stuff, dammit.

So accordingly, one of the most intriguing questions I like to discover about traveling to new places is: “How’s their coffee?”  Greek coffee is like an instant espresso with a chalky black mucky powder at the bottom.  Coming from the divine Italy and above-average Spain coffees, Greece’s sloppy take on my favorite morning beverage was utterly unsatisfying.  I thought I was really in for a struggle, people.  That is, before I found the frappe!

I discovered the frappe, really, before I tried Greek coffee. I remember we were finishing our first gyro pita and the shop owner shirtlessly walks out of the kitchen with a frappe in his hand.  At the time I didn’t know what it was (I thought it was Greek coffee, actually), but it looked awesome!  He drank an iced light brown beverage with about 4 inches of foam on the top with a straw.  So, I ordered a Greek coffee- my first and last.

I was determined to figure out what this tasty coffee-variant was that I looked around and found everyone to be drinking. So, I looked in our trusty LP and there is was in black and white: It was of course, the almighty Frappe!

I worship you, frappe.

Treasure Discovered

I ordered it, then ordered another, then another, then another.  I continue ordering them to this day and will probably make them when we get home to the States.  The frappe is everything its look promised.  A cool refreshing watered down coffee with plenty of sugar and some playful foam on top.  The quality obviously varies from place to place, but very little.  The average price is 3 euros, we’ve found.

What’s in it?

Mmmmm, froth

The basic ingredients of the frappe are this: water, Nescafe, and sugar to taste. Froth with a milk frother for a few seconds until it becomes really frothy.  Add milk.  Don’t mix.  What you have is a fantastic 3-layered Greek frappe.  Add vanilla ice-cream for an ‘ice-cream frappe’; use real espresso instead of Nescafe for an ‘iced-freddo’.

So, what have we learned?  When you come to Greece, try the “Greek coffee” but do so for cultural exploration and not sensory satisfaction; do so with full awareness that a sweet, caffeinated, foaming heaven awaits you.

Relax with tunes and a frappe- priceless.

Tags: coffee, greece