OPEN THREAD conversation-starter: Your thoughts about Starbucks 'blowing up the Frappuccino'

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Comments

[Zatz]

I tried another "new frap" today. I'm ready to conclude it's more liquidy and less coffee tasting than the original receipe. Seems like it's more work to make, although the manager in my store says they have some sort of 'lean' processes in place. The basrista may not agree as she had to measure out coffee powder, a certain amount of Frap(TM) squirts, and a certain amount of milk. I think we'll see a larger response and lots of questions once it really gets rolling. Hm.

[Coffee Soldier]

I think the consistency of the new frappuccinos it much better...less icey chunks BUT def. less coffee flavor...I think it is a ploy to ensure customers add on more FR (frappucinno roast) or extra espresso which they will be charged for aside from the decaf versions (unless they want more then usually comes in recipe. I really enjoy how quickly they pour and one you've been making them for a week isn't really difficult. At first we were not suposed to move from the blender BUT we have 6 blender pitchers so we prep up the next one while the blender is blending one so they go faster since we are no longer allowed to blend 2 together. Our customers so far have been extremely satisfied (thank God!)

[booger red]

We have been making the new frappuccinos for about a year now as our area is one of the test markets. You may lose one or two hard core frapp drinkers, but most customers will really not be able to tell the difference. We lost a guy at my store that ordered 3 frappuccinos throughout the day for himself totaling several hundred bucks a month loss in sales. He could tell the difference in taste right off the bat. However, in the long run he's probably saving his health from not drinking that much "death in a cup." anymore.

Your partners in the stores will get used to making them just as quickly as they do it using the old recipe. Give it a week.

[BAYAREABUX]

For me it's much much easier to tell the difference between VIA and brewed coffee versus "new" and "old" Frappuccino.

I'm not sure I could tell the Frappuccinos apart in a blind tasting. The new ones I've made are still pretty chunky. I thought we'd be going for milkshake consistency but its still just a coffee shushie.

[Melody]

@CoffeeSoldier - I'm a little confused. Usually you only get charged once per syrup group, so if I ordered a tall Chai with 8 pumps of Chai, there were would be no extra charge ... So is this something different that now there would be an extra charge for more coffee syrup? (By the way, I don't drink an 8 pump Chai drink, that's just an example)

@Bayareabux - I can't spot the difference easily either!

[Marcus]

@ booger red, Whoa! 3 fraps a day? Was he very obese? That's hard to imagine--that would be I would think about a day's worth of calories alone.

[Christinschu]

When my baristas were training on the new fraps, we did not have the 3 lined cups yet, and they turned out too milky. Perhaps this is the case for some people that have tried them.

When made right I think they taste STRONGER Than the old frapps.

Zatz: Im' not sure what powder your barista was putting in your frappuccino?! THere is no powder, unless it was a vanilla powder for vanilla frappuccinos or matcha for green tea?

[javagirl666]

Melody: Once you are charged for an extra pump of coffee..yes, you may add as many as you like. They are not slushie at all..better check your ice and blender..rather, very creamy.

[Preston]

A "frap connoisseur?" Who does he think he is?

[I.Heart.Spirit]

I thoroughly enjoy this consistancy over the previous ones. I'm also glad they taste more like they did when they FIRST hit the market.

[quadespresso]

Ummm there is not a charge for extra pumps of frap roast but there is for shots of espresso (unless you are making a decaf frap). Although who would want an espresso shot when the new Frap Roast is a lovely blend of Espresso and Italian.

The new fraps are so much nicer! I can't stand drinking fraps but these new ones... not that I will drink them but they certainly are creamier and tastier and easier to make. I will not miss all the prep from the old way!

[yukonluvr]

there actually is a charge for extra frap roast. for each pump i think. there's something in the coaching guide that tells how to ring it up. i'm pretty sure you charge for each additional pump of frap roast. it is similar to pumps of coffee after all (ie espresso shots)

on a side note, has anyone tried to soy stcf we're going to be promoting? it is sooooooooooo much better than our current stcf and tastes like a strawberry milkshake. it's tastes much fresher too.

[CM33]

When adding extra Frappuccino Roast, you just charge once regardless of how many extra pumps you want. Same with adding decaf shots, you just charge once and then add as many as you want (which is against normal drink policies, but aligns with how Frappuccino Roast is charged).

PS. I think the new Frappuccinos are awesome, albeit a little sweeter. Can't wait to try the new STCF.

[booger red]

@ Marcus

Surprisingly the guy with the 3 frap a day habit was not obese. In fact he appeared to be quite fit. He must have worked out in all his spare time to keep the weight off because his drink was a grande JCF with extra chips and mocha pumps.

[please.]

Lets all be on the same page...it said in training if they want extra pumps of FRAP ROAST they get charged ONCE. SO if they want 6 pumps in a grande they get charged the .40

[Zatz]

Christinschu, I didn't see the barista put the powder in either time, but both times she mentioned it to me and I saw some trays of powder. So either I misunderstood the process or accidentally ended up with vanilla powder? Does actual liquid coffee go in with the frap syrup?

Preston, I'm a guy who has had more than my fair share of fraps. At SBUX, and elsewhere. I never hit three a day, but there's been many double digit days over the years. Probably peaked in 2007 and 2008 when I worked from home. Due to the inconsistency lately (in my experience) in the frap blend and amount of ice or blending, I actually mostly drink grande iced coffee, light ice, and a little room for H&H and 1 S&L these days. Once or twice a week I go with the grande espresso frap with whip.

[baroosta]

It really bothers me when people (partners and customers) say frap...I mean it sounds like they are saying crap. "Can I get a large mocha crap?"

[Zatz]

Yep, my running buddy Leslie and I have been calling them Crappuccinos since a Starbucks outpost opened near our (old) office in 2000. Regardless, frap is much closer to frappe' which many call these sorts of drinks. Cold and/or blended coffee drinks existed prior to the Frappuccino(TM).

[socal barista]

Zatz, we do use a VIA-like coffee powder (mixed with water) to make the "frappuccino roast" which is the coffee that gets pumped into each drink. I hope no one was scooping that powder into your frappuccino!!

I really do like the taste of the new frappuccinos. I like that they have real sugar and milk, as opposed to the high-fructose-corn-syrup mystery mixture we were using before. A Dark Cherry Mocha Frappuccino tastes just like a cordial cherry.

[Splat]

There is some really crappy training going on apparently out there...coffee powder scoops?, not knowing how the hell to charge for them...ridiculous. READ THE TRAINING MATERIALS PEOPLE.

[hearbutloud]

Guys - try it with breve. Whole new taste explosion.

And yes, it IS an extra charge for extra "frappuccino roast" (don't get me started on this one) but they can have as many extra pumps as they want. I recommend advising people of the extra charge when they request it since normally there is no extra charge for an extra "pump" of something.

[legendary or bust]

because there are many more steps, the room for error is larger

And I thought Vivannos (that we were not allowed to call smoothies is the original training guide) had a lot of steps...

[Coffee Soldier]

Melody..I was refering to the extra frappucinno roast like someone else pointed out...you can add as many as you like but you do get charged for it. Similar to adding rasberry to a mocha you can have 20 pumps but are getting charged once. You could also add espresso and be charged per a shot like any other drink. The decaf versions come with the frappuccino roast ommitted but the decaf espresso added 1 for a tall 2 for a grande and 3 for the venti but UNcharged for because it is built into the price. Check out your training materials the standard amount of shot or shots going into a decaf frappuccino is NOT charged for!

[dairy dilemma]

My fellow baristas who have been trained on the new fraps...pls let me know (yes this is a true customer request):

If a customer wants a frap made with both milk and soy...do you make it or not (due to health regulations regarding mixing dairy & non-dairy products)? If you do make it....dairy blender or soy blender?

The health concern is not for this customer- but for following customers with dietary restrictions to soy or milk. Remember both soy and milk are recognized allergens (and thus listed as such on any packaged product if included.)

And if its a non-issue b/c all blenders are rinsed after each use before next use...then why would we have differently marked blenders for soy/dairy products?

Obviously cross contamination of dairy/soy would not be a concern with any other hot beverage (steam in separate pitchers and combine in cup) or cold beverage (built in self contained cup).

How does the Sbux food safety courses/manuals address this issue?
Thanks for your responses.

[intlbarista]

When exactly do the new Frappuccinos launch? I'm hearing about all these places launching early but here in DC I guess they're holding off until the official launch..

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

The Tazo Website needs a makeover

[me myself and I]

I'd solve your dairy dilemma by accommodating your wish and then sanitizing the pitcher. That's what i do with steamed milk requests that way too. Shouldn't be a big deal if you have more than one blender pitcher.

[Gilgamesh]

How about those silly wrist bands they want all partners wearing at work. Cheaper than t-shirts I'm sure.

[erstwhile]

I can't get over the waxy feeling these leave in my mouth. I think it's the xantham gum?

[Karl Dahlquist]

They are making them in LA....some stores ask the customers to taste them before they leave....others dont.

[Kathleen]

Preston is that you?

[Cafe Nervosa]

I was never a fan of the coffee based Frappuccinos, so all I can say is that I like the new consistency and the lack of separation. Tried a chai creme and it tasted more like chai than before, but seemed to lack a certain something.

HOWEVER. I noted that the new recipe cards said to add base to the blended strawberry lemonade now, so I gave that a whirl... I thought it was SPECTACULAR and can see that being a nice treat. Upon further experimentation, I discovered that blending passion tea with ice and the appropriate amount of base yields something not very good- avoid.

And I know it's been said before, but the directive to hand off a drink, THEN rinse the pitcher is nonsense. It may reduce wait time for the current customer by about two seconds, but will cost the next customer in line about six seconds. When there's a line to the door, that time adds up.

[Zatz]

My third suburban DC SBUX outpost experience, this one in Fairfax this morning. I asked if they're ready to make the new fraps and boy were they PISSED. They said no one in our region is supposed to start offering them until the 5th. A few minutes later they backed down and did say the old mix is no longer being shipped, so if someone is out they may be offering them now.

[Darth Sidamo.]

Okay so here is the most important question of the day. Whenever somebody says out loud the step "PUMP THE BASE" does anybody else bust out some Ace of Bass or rock out some LL Cool J? I cant stop laughing when I hear that step out loud.

[Coffee Soldier]

I'm doing laundry and thought everyone might like to know I am now folding all my shirts at home utilizing the repeatable routine :)

Have a good weekend all!

[(former) FLA SM]

"And I thought Vivannos (that we were not allowed to call smoothies is the original training guide) had a lot of steps"

Yeah, we were explicitly warned NOT to call them "smoothies." (The horror!) Then a couple of weeks later, the marketing materials said something like "get ready for a new smoothie." (Of course, those marketing materials no longer contained Karate Man!)

[mnmsr4me]

Oh I loved karate man! LOL!

[funnytastebudsorwhat]

funny, every other barista has told me that it has a real coffee flavor now...not less

[piano]

Haha, Coffee Soldier....only some of us know wtf you mean.

I had to train someone I work with quite a bit yesterday on these things....I felt like I was insulting her intelligence.

But yeah, new blended strawberry lemonade ftw. I hated it when they changed the strawberry sauce, and now it's good again! One good thing out of all this.

Anyone else find some of the creme based frappuccinos too watery with the new recipe? Especially strawberries and creme.

[Barista-Bot]

I think I am the only person who doesn't like the new blended strawberry lemonade. I don't like that it tastes creamy. I loved it the way it was before!

And I think that the new frappuccinos have a stronger coffee flavor. For those who think it tastes sweeter, that's probably because Frappuccino Roast is made from espresso roast and italian roast, both which are known to have a sweet side.

[javagirl666]

So..make the strawberry lemonade w/o the base...that doesn't make sense to me anyway!

[Darth Sidamo.]

D. Jacks, how long ago was VIA first offered where you live? I dont know about you but it is almost a year later here and reviews are based off how much VIA you sell, whoever sells the most VIA now usually gets promoted now, my DM forces us to hound people with the kind of tactics you just uttered, etc. This has been going on for over a year. It is "normal" for this in the united states.

[Karma]

Thank God Roly Morris (RVP - Nor Cal) is leaving... or maybe got pushed out. When is Kristine Hung leaving, she SHOULD BE next (RD - San Francisco).

[Melody (Reply to Karma)]

@Karma - Hasn't Roly Morris been around since like 1992? He must be doing something right to be a part of the organization for so long. Considering he has been with Starbucks for close to 20 years, could it just be that he is close to retiring? I don't know Kristine Hung.

The only RVP I've really wondered about is Andrew Alfano, and that is only because of the thread here at SG about alleged sexual harassment. He had a twitter profile very briefly, which managed to give off a bad vibe with just a few tweets (long story) but that twitter profile has since been deleted. (Obviously I don't really know any of these people personally).

[spence]

Piano, You mentioned that the creme based drinks are watery. Did you realize that you must also include the base (not the coffee) but the binding liquid to the creme based frappuccinos?
BTW, the coffee frappuccinnos taste must more coffee like with the new system.

[@usorthem3]

I'm just loving reading all the posts of late. No real need to add anything because you folks here have covered it all.

@D. Jacks, Sorry M8 but that is the new Sbux Standard 4 ethics. Fear of losing your job, intimidation of "you can't leave till you sell this much no matter what". Threats to managers that if they didn't make their goal numbers then they would be replaced by someone who could, it's all about the £££ and less about the customers. Not sure if in the UK benefits were stripped like they were here in the states, but from the employees: two personal days, vacation accrual, raise %, sufficient labor to give level of customer service that was given two years ago have all been taken away and will never return. It's called L.E.A.N. Mathematically calculated formulas put on paper that say your motions should be the same as a robot, they took out the soul of the third place because you can't figure in the human element to that equation. Where as in my cafe store, we used to do 50+ transactions per half hour with five people working, now and forever there will be three. We start doing the warming sandwiches soon and even with the added tasks is afforded no more labor to accomplish them.

@Gilgamesh I saw those wristbands. It's probably because according to dress code, there are no more promotional t-shirts so I am told. All the shirts I bought from Coffee Gear that I'm not allowed to wear at work anymore, I'm think ebay to get some of the money back out of them. I did get one of the VIA shirts but we can't wear those either.

So to all those in the know here, will the new double walled plastic cold personal cups have the three lines or will we still be using an cup to measure first? Just a question I thought I would ask.

[sad]

The mention of the stripped benefits in the above poster's comment made me think also of how "Partner Appreciation Day" has also been effectively erased from Starbucks as well. It used to be the last Friday of every month all the partners could wear a pair of jeans, a Starbucks t-shirt and have $25 for a paid out for a small purchase for something like pizza for everyone working that day. Slowly one by one each thing was taken away over the course of a year or so. No paid out came first, next nix the t-shirts, then the jeans. Now we get an e-mail we are required to print out and post from our Regional Director wishing us a "Happy Partner Appreciation Day" and how we should celebrate by awarding each other Green Apron cards.

[(former) FLA SM]

"Did you realize that you must also include the base (not the coffee) but the binding liquid to the creme based frappuccinos?"

Homer Simpson says "Mmmmm, binding liquid."

[JSH]

My usual Starbucks is already on the new formula, and it was HORRIBLE. It wasn't just a subtle difference, it was downright disgusting. I sent it back and the barista apologized and explained it was unfortunately the new way of Frappucinos - and she even agreed the new method gives an inferior result.

[Waltie]

"I know we need to help launch this, but fundamentally it is an expensive niche product, and I think hounding customers and stressing stafff will lead to bad things eventually."

If you are making the customers feel harassed by trying to sell them VIA, you are doing it wrong. No offense.