Frappuccino gripe: "Why would Starbucks 'fix' something that's not broken?"

One of the complaints at MyStarbucksIdea.com: "I understand that SB wanted to make the Frappachinos more customizable, but the new one does not taste anywhere close to the old one, it has a terrible aftertaste and it made me (and a few others I know) sick to my stomach." (I love the various Frappuccino misspellings.) Read "New 'Frappachino'" || Jump to the second page of comments.

Comments

[me myself and I]

I don't like how so many people try to talk the new frappuccino down. It is not that bad at all. I predict most customers won't notice a difference. And I'm sure there will be a lot of people seriously enjoying the nonfat options. Maybe people should give it a serious try before bashing it.

[lol]

I agree with me myself and I. It's not bad at all. The new method for building them, while only a few seconds more time consuming to a new learner, improves overall consistency. It's going to be a hit.

Fresher and healthier ingredients for each drink? Definitely a plus.

[Munchkin]

I'm just sayin'...If you're consuming TWO frappuccinos PER DAY and can't even spell the very drink you purport to drink so much, how on earth can you be a judge of what is good and what is not. Maybe the shock of fresh, unprocessed ingredients in this person's stomach was too much for her system to handle. Next, she'll be saying that apples make her feel bad, but apple fritters are okay. Some people don't like these drinks, because they are not as sweet and use real sugar as opposed to high fructose corn syrup. After some initial hesitation, people will be right back in line for their Venti extra, extra, extra, extra caramel frappuccino with extra whipped cream.

[Sheik]

The new Frappuccino's are worse than the McDonald's Frappe and are one step above the MooLatte at Dairy Queen.

FAIL.

[Black Apron Chicago]

great concept, cool that you can use soy, but these things are waaaaaay too sweet. There's actually less coffee flavor unless you add extra pumps. Epic Fail. Ppl. who drink frappuccinos on the regular are idiots anyways.

[Marcus]

Do the stores have new Frappuccinos now? I have seen no advertisements.

I have never had a Frappuccino because no one seems to know what is in them! I have asked at the store and they give vague answers, I've looked at starbucks.com and google-searched it. I have a general sense of course--but there is that elusive "base." You can't just list base as an ingredient as if base grows on trees! What is in the "base"? And what is in the new one? Does it also have a "mystery base"? I would love to try one if they could tell me what the heck is in it!

And I've always wondered about that chocolaty chip frap I see on the menu...there are legal standards for what can be called chocolate and what can't be (certain percentages of cocoa mass must be met, and it must use cocoa butter instead of vegetable fats). I wonder if Starbucks says chocolaty instead of chocolate for legal reasons...

[Christinschu]

The new frappuccinos taste great, IMHO. And the great thing is that if you don't think there is enough coffee in them, just ask for an extra pump! That's the whole point.

Everyday we would be inindated with customers asking for "non-fat" or "soy" frappuccions, so in a way it 'was' broken before, because these customers ended up getting cheaper drinks or nothing at all.

[LEGENDARY OR BUST]

Marcus, those drinks WERE called chocolate instead of chocolaty until about 3 years ago when the name HAD to change due to legal reason like you mentioned. There was an action item about it forever ago..

[CM33]

These new Frappuccinos are going to be awesome. I find they taste a little sweeter, but we also haven't started using the newly calibrated syrup pumps yet. What's great though, is that customers who require decaf, soy or Lactaid can finally get Frappuccinos! This will be a huge change for the company this summer onward. The fact that the products used to make the drinks will also last longer is awesome. Less waste, less time preparing bases, more time to do the things that really matter at Starbucks: customer connections!

[Corvex Corvidae]

^ Good job, little company drone. How much are they paying you for the effort of typing that? That's a gig I'd like to try. Get paid to be excited about these "rework the entire system" plans Howard has gone on a tear about as of late.

To the point of this thread though, I say to that guy "get used to it." I mean, it's clear this complaint was highly exaggerated from a few different directions, but even if it wasn't, it'd do no good. I personally like the change, although I never drink the frappuccino™ (still don't). Do I really make a lot of nonfat or soy CRFs on any given shift to warrant this? Eh. But the system works, my store has long been used to the new workflow, and life goes on. So quit bitching.

[Holy crap that was GOOD!]

Get the mocha frap made with breve and real espresso shots... it will stop all the complaining here. Deeeelish.

[Melody]

@Munchkin - Lots of people can't spell Frappuccino. It's a hard word to spell. I wouldn't count that as evidence of anything.

I know that when I tried it about six months ago, I liked it. It tasted just fine to me. I would've known something was new, (without being told) but would not have been able to put my finger on it.

The hard situation will be the daily Frappuccino who knows just exactly what it should taste like (at least the old way) and will immediately not like the change, just because it is change. Millions of people love their Frappuccino the way it is now - Just because it's now "better" doesn't mean they'll love the new one.

I assume that for most people though, if a barista works to adjust the recipe, they'll find something they like with the new fresh Frappuccinos ...

@HolyCrap - A breve mocha frappuccino with espresso sounds deadly rich. I want to try that. But a tall is going to be a meal I bet! How many calories in a breve Frappuccino? LOL!

[Bearded Barista]

Anyone else curious when, and more importantly how they will be conveying the nutriotional informaition for these frappuccinos? I really like doing a tall coffee frap with double the FR, but I dont want to get hooked on these things just to find out they are more terrible for me then I think they are.

[jetblue711]

Why all the sudden contempt for a beverage that has not launched nationally yet? I know it has test markets, but each one is slightly different, none have the final product. The only way the people are getting the "new frappucino" is if stores are leaking product, which if they are, shame on you. On the plus side the signage and promo material look awesome. I haven't been looking forward to retail set this nice (other than holiday sets) since SUMMER 1 and 2 from FY08 with the pale blue menu boards (Mint Mocha Chip Frappucino and Starbucks DoubleShot in Ice).

[Munchkin]

jetblue711, in my region we have been forced to launch the new frappucinos due to a shortage of old product. We had no choice, can't go without frappucinos in a warm weather market.

[Melody]

@jetblue711 - I believe the final version of this test product has been in play for months and months. Any barista in Dallas could answer that question. (Calling, Dallas Texas baristas! :-) )

I'm under the impression that it was a large scale test, constantly adding new geographies, and now some stores are soft launching a little early as they run out of the other Frappuccino base. (?). Link in name goes to my old blog about the new fresh Frappuccino being offered in Vermont.

[mnmsr4me]

@jetblue711 We launched in Southern California over the last week or so. It's no longer in the testing phase.

[just another partner]

i believe everyone is launching it in may... and most stores can do a soft launch starting next week or so... we are supposed to be sampling it out as we are doing training, so customers should be tasting it soon! :)

i am a soy drinker, so never drink frappuccinos. during training i made one with soy and it was amazing!! such a creamy consistency, and you can completely customize it! i love that the light base is sweetened with stevia instead of splenda too. much nicer. and the fact that it has actual milk in it instead of some brown stuff that comes out of a box makes it alot more appealing to me and i know it will to others too. i cant wait till it rolls out! :)

[JCF]

These cannot launch early! If your store is serving them, STOP! Call your DM or RD because all communication says DO NOT LAUNCH PRIOR TO OFFICIAL LAUNCH DATE!

Personal opinion: I've tried several variations and they are awesome! The straight up CF is great. Can't wait to try more flavors and customize further.

[Callen2]

When do the new frappuccino's officially launch?

[launchdate]

May 8th or 9th I think

[launchdate]

holy freak out-they can and have launched early. Cafes have run out of the old base and have been instructed to launch. Chill the heck out

[launchdate]

@jetblue-there is no more testing, these are launching and cafes DO have the final product

[passingtimeindallas]

I live in Dallas. We were a test market for the old, new frappaccinos (same stuff, just made entirely in the blender, not the cup) and have had them for over a year. For the first couple of months, everyone is going to either really really like them or really really hate them. After that everyone forgets that they ever changed and life will go back to normal. No worries. Don't freak out. It will all be ok.

[jetblue711]

Sorry guys didn't mean to start a riot. I was just curious as to the bad press so soon when they've not been completely launched. I have read the notes saying to soft launch as you need to, but the majority of North American stores aren't launched yet. And I just assumed that certain test markets were different as the two I've visited both made the new Frappuccino's differently (I actually asked them to walk me through their process) which led me to the conclusion that people are still experiencing different Frappuccino's until the hard launch. Well anyways, thanks for the warm welcome, guess I'll stick to just browsing and not commenting.

[Melody]

@jetblue711 - We like an occasional riot now and then, and we all get a bit black and blue here. I'm still sore from some of the bruising. ;)

[Corvex Corvidae]

The way I heard it, the 'new frappuccino™' training had to be shoved into a 5-day window or so due to product shortages. My SM had to train the entire crew in a weekend on what was supposed to be a 2 week rollout. Myself being in the DFW market, I've been slinging these things for many moons now, so none of this really affected my store much. :shrug: Apparently the old base mix got cannibalized faster than they expected.

How does everybody feel about the new build method? The 'pour it into the cup first' this is different for us test-marketers.

[Socal_sm]

Jcf- how about a detailed email from an rvp stating how the company underprojected frappuchino sales and the warehouse is out, and holding us to the same training expectations with only 5 days to roll out to stores after SMs were trained? The west coast has been serving the new recipie all week.

[baristamclane]

I like the new coffee Frappuccinos, but then again, I hated the old Frappuccino base. I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the blended cremes yet.

The biggest problem I had today, was that I kept trying to make Caramel Frappuccinos: Java Chip? I made caramel. Vanilla Bean? You're getting caramel. Dark Cherry Mocha? Yep, you guessed it...

[mnmsr4me]

@jetblue711, no offense intended in my post. You did say "shame" on people who were serving the new frappuccinos, so I was letting you know we had to launch early.

[MIMI]

I TRIED THE NEW FRAP TODAY ......AND WAS VERY DISSAPOINTED=( , I COMPLAINED THAT IT DID'NT TAST THE SAME , AND HAD THEM MAKE IT TWICE. iT WAS NOT UNTILL THE 2ND TIME THOUGH THAT THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A NEW RECIPE.....I HATE THE NEW RECIPE...OH WELL STARBUX IT'S BEEN A LONG ROAD BETWEEN US LOL I GUESS THIS IS WHERE WE PART .=(

[OverCaffeinated]

Way back in the day, before we got the blender pitchers with the graduated lines, we used to build all frappaccino's in the cup. It not that bad. The hardest part is deprogramming yourself from the way you originally learned it. I suppose that's why they're being so hardcore about FOLLOWING THE RECIPE EXACTLY. People in my store haven't even been allowed to try them until they've been officially trained. Anyway, I don't usually toe the company line, but I have to say that I like the new ones much better. I always hated the the "canned" taste of the pre-made base.

[Ryan]

Try a vanilla bean Frappuccino with soy. Tastes like Vanilla Bean ice cream. Pretty tasty.

[PdxDan]

I was the partner that unpacked the blenders with my manager when we were one of the first stores in the Seattle area to serve the "Frap a what?" the drink has evolved over the years. From brewing double strength Italian into tubs everyday, milk choc. for mocha frapps. and then using "powdered coffee" This is one of the many time saving moves over the years that will "save labor" and cut down on waste...maybe.
The customers will be the ultimate judge.

[Katy]

Why can't they offer the old AND the new frapp recipe? I have tried the new recipe for coffee frapp several times and each time I got sick. I have since bought a machine and make them at home. Starbucks just lost $5000 per year from my husband and I. You call the new recipe fresh ingredients. I watched them make it, and there was nothing fresh that went in. It was just powder, syrup and ice with an inch of milk. It was the worst thing I have ever tasted.

[gc]

Posted by: OverCaffeinated | April 08, 2010 at 11:07 PM:

Can't try them until they've been trained? What would stop an employee from, on their break, ordering one for themselves? Would they be denied the request?

Seems a bit over-the-top of Starbucks. I assume, though, that, as with every single Starbucks store, is a store-only policy and some overzealous, low self-esteem store manager has "decided" that's how it's going to be.

I keep seeing this and how "complicated" it is, but I can't help but think "it's just coffee" and, ultimately, has little consequence on the larger world.

[Coffee Soldier]

anyone get their new blenders yet? I'm wondering what the difference is? Suposed to be quiter and quicker I've heard....

[(former) FLA SM]

@jetblue711:
You must be relatively new to Starbucks. You will discover, over time, that whenever Starbucks rolls out a new product, it's always a clusterf**k. Either you don't get all the necessary tools/product in time, or there's a big controversy over the launch date, or (in the case of the new frapps) both. Sometimes you also get contradictory training information to make it even more fun.

I wonder if Karate-man will enjoy the new recipe. He certainly loves vanilla lattes with protein powder.

[Waltie]

I'm predicting, as I think are most people, that this will be a huge success. Here's why:

1. The new fraps taste better. I know that this is subjective and that a lot of people are claiming that they new fraps are awful, but the taste between the two is so similar in my opinion as to be nonexistent.

2. The consistency is great. They no longer separate into ice chunks if they aren't finished by five minutes or so. This was always a huge deal-breaker for me, but it has now been solved.

3. Less waste/faster prep. We will no longer have to make pitchers of everything in advance, trying to guess how much we'll need for the entire day. We know just pump the amount we need, and it lasts so much longer that we won't be dumping everything if it happens to be a slow day, it snows, etc. This is a huge deal that will save time, money, and cut down on frustration.

4. Customization. We finally offer a soy coffee frap. I don't think any other major chains offer that, but now we do. This is huge, and for people like me who don't drink dairy, it's a god send. Also, the soy fraps are great. Sure, irrational baristas will get annoyed when customers have complicated frap requests, but those are bad bariastas who get annoyed about eveything. Their opinions simply don't matter.

[Melody]

Great post Waltie! I'm optimistic too about the new Frappuccinos over the long haul after the initial adjustment period.

[hearbutloud]

Cold Station Double Barring --- who is grateful this can finally happen again?

Never running out of base because the shift before you guessed inappropriately and now you have whip up stuff that won't be properly chilled - that's exciting, right?

Fully customizable means INCREASED Frappuccino business. (Who's been complaining about labor? Frappuccinos earn a TON.)

My store has a serious lack of Fridge space - so this is a HUGE boon for our cold storage.

And, for the frappuccino drinkers out there who are so addicted and cannot find a reasonable fascimile anywhere else; they will come around because the new frappuccino will still be closer to the old frappuccino than anything else out there. Or maybe they will drink bigger ones (or more of them), now that they can have NF milk and real sugar (which is always better than imitation).

Personally - I am of the "if it ain't broken don't fix it" school and love the ORIGINAL frapps (made with double strength Italian). Considering the market we ignored with the old frappuccinos, the old Frappuccino WAS broken. Now, kids and pregnant moms can have thier decaf frappuccinos. The ever-growing population of lactose-intolerant can have their soy. And as people are becoming more aware and educated about food options, I think it is awesome that the Frappuccinos will use real sugar instead of corn syrup and not force their "lite" drinkers to subject themselves to artificial sweeteners.

As far as launch goes: soft launch says April 19. We are not supposed to start selling them beforehand. But if your whole area is out of the old Frappuccino, I don't see how you have any choice because people certainly aren't going to take a "lite" or "cream-based" Frapp instead and turning them out altogether is really stupid. Imagine telling them, "Yes, we do have the new stuff for Frappuccinos, and I know you are ordering $40 worth for your office, but we aren't supposed to use it. Sorry." Starbucks is still in competition with other coffee shops and restaurants. Serve them their Frappuccinos.

[pio]

Thanks Starbucks for saving me $2100+/year (that's 5.95/day for a Venti MF w/ 2 add shots). I agree with most - the new Frappucino mix is dreadful. Syrupy sweet, no coffee tang, and a bad aftertaste. I'm back to making my home versions again.

[bayareabux]

So, 3 to 5 pm is going to be Frap Happy Hour every day (Frappy Hour?). Half price frappuccinos! I pity anyone working near a high school. Once this gets out on Facebook, oh boy.

Since 15th Ave doesn't sell frappuccino, maybe they could try two-for-one beers instead? I know that would get me in the door.

[ash_sk8s]

@Katy

Let's just think how realistic it would be to stock two different types of the same product. Yeah, not at all...

[shift misto]

@MARCUS
did no one ever just hand you a box of frapp base to read the ingredients? I couldn't imagine a customer asking me whats in something and justing saying ..idk. i can post them for you tomorrow if you would like them.

and yes, chips are not "chocolate" i believe it has to do with the ratio of paramount wax that is used in them. (PW is used in aloooot of frostings, coatings, etc to make it them smoother and i would imagine to make them 'go farther').

@MELODY
breve makes everything better! esp fraps. well, im not sure about now, i havn't tried the new ones yet. but in the old its amazing.

@GC
or maybe, they actually require training. maybe starbucks really does care about the launch. and maybe we run on policies like that all the time. at all the stores. maybe im not sure how you ended up questioning the operations of a store when you obviously have no understanding of how it operates. its not about 'stickin in to the man', its about the fact that we simply are not making them yet.

@FLA SM.
-hug-

[108represent]

Remember, these frappuccinos are CUSTOMIZABLE. This means if you get one and do not like the taste of it, figure out what it is that you do not like - too sweet? not sweet enough? needs more coffee? Then the next time you order one, ask the barista to adjust the prep according to your liking. Really, it isn't rocket science!!!!!!!!

[Redstripe]

I had the shift training on the frappuccinos today and I must say its great! I love the options to customize.. I think this will be a great new thing!

[erstwhile]

If you're lacking fridge space, it doesn't matter, because now you're going to have to keep 3-4x as much WHOLE milk on hand, which is ridiculous. Our back refrigerators are jam packed with 2% and Nonfat as it is. I fully predict opening on a delivery day to crates of milk on the back room floor...

Other than that, no major complaints. Yet.

[Bootsonbarelegs]

I tried the new caramel frap today Haven't learned how to make them though. I may not drink fraps a lot, but I can tell that this doesn't taste all that different, in fact, I think a lot of people wouldn't be able to tell, or would get used to the new taste pretty fast. I could actually taste coffee this time, without the weird aftertaste of the old ones.

[baristamclane]

I'm seriously digging the fact that the only prep we have to make now is Frappuccino Roast, Mocha, and WC. But I wonder, is this going to present an opportunity to cut labor? Admittedly, I'm not savvy on how prep affects how stores earn labor...