"starbucks frappuccino" news and stories

When I was but an innocent adolescent – not yet exposed to caffeine-fueled college all-nighters and the pure joy that is espresso – the only coffee I would drink was a Starbucks Frappuccino, delightfully laden with sugar, whipped cream, and occasionally, gobs of caramel syrup. As I stopped growing upward, and extra Frapps had me growing outward, I cut back on the frozen bevies. (Cue the sad string quartet.)

While I'm surely not alone in the conception that Frappuccinos are a "once in awhile" treat, I'm pleased to be the bearer of the good news that your favorite summer sipper can be customized with a slimmed-down makeover. Yes, the Frappuccino Light has been around since 2004, but the pre-mixed base contained part non-fat, part whole dry milk, chemicals and high fructose corn syrup (the regular base contained the corn syrup too), and not a whole lot of natural anything.

On May 4th, when Starbucks rolls out their "However-You-Want-It Frappuccino Blended Beverage," customers will be able to choose from, among other specialized options, four real milks: nonfat, two percent, whole and soy. (Lactose-intolerant folks, I'm talking to you!) It's the first time in 15 years that the popular drink's formula has been changed, and it now heralds back more truly to the original creation.

This may be an odd, naive question, but here goes.

For the past few years, I've been enjoying the Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino drinks that you can buy at the supermarket. They come in little bottles, in a four pack. I know that you can buy a Mocha Frappuccino at Starbucks locations, but when I order it it's a thicker, ice-based drink, and not the thin, iced-coffee drink that you get in the four pack from the supermarket. My question: can you actually order this drink at Starbucks, or can you only get the frozen one? Is this store Frappuccino a thin liquid because they can't market it as a frozen drink?

OK, sorry, I guess that was two questions, not one.