Intro to freddos and it’s origin –
Imagine it’s bright and sunny outside, and your friend gets you a coffee (a standard hot one). Now, the issue here is that you can’t give up on coffee, but the hot weather doesn’t suit it. So what to do, what do you do? That’s the time, order or make ‘freddo espresso’ or a ‘freddo cappuccino’!!! Freddo means cold in Italian. These 2 drinks are made up of freshly brewed espresso, and by following it’s preparation method you’ll get an iced and crushed coffee drink. This is what makes them so good, unlike regular cold coffee made from low quality instant coffee powder. More on this is described in the upcoming paragraphs. Anyways, don’t come to the conclusion that their origin is surely Italy as espresso and cappuccino are from there, because that’s not how it works for freddos, kindly wait and watch.
Before that, let’s understand them better. You can refer to freddo espresso as cold espresso or iced espresso. Similarly, freddo cappuccino can be called cold cappuccino or iced cappuccino. Freddo espresso along with its milky addition freddo cappuccino are 2 coffee drinks that are chilling out in Greece. Yes, Greece it is where these 2 have their origins and are cool delicious coffees extremely popular there! Though hot espressos and hot cappuccinos have a strong background and presence even to this day in Italy, freddos are a slightly different case. Generally most parts of Greece have a higher temperature when compared to the cold European countries, and plenty of sunny days all over the year. It seems that’s one of the main reasons for freedos to be the icy coffee heroes over there.
Initially there weren’t espresso machines at most cafes in Greece until the 1990’s. So, till that time the Greek frappe (made from instant coffee) was the go-to cold coffee drink there. Then with the spread of the Italian espresso machines in Greece, espresso and cappuccino were widely available. The hot espresso and the hot cappuccino during the hotter days in Greece would have been a little too harsh. So they came up with an icy twist and that was as freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino. Since the frappe was made from instant coffee, while the freddos were made from fresh espresso shots (which also meant better quality coffee), they overtook the frappe in terms of popularity and sales over there.
But, if we’re looking at it globally, not just in Greece, then it appears that freddos are an untapped market and are not that popular. Starbucks included it and named it as cappuccino freddo in Greece initially. Then, they have introduced it in various other regions too. Yet, freddo is still a wonderful opportunity to be capitalized upon, which has not been taken advantage of. Other than cafes, if you’re looking to make it at home, then that can also be done. If you’ve got an espresso machine or an alternative espresso maker, then making freddos is child’s play.
How to make freddo espresso?
Equipment required
- Espresso machine or nespresso machine or (Moka pot, French press, Aeropress).
- Drink mixer or power blender or shakeable jar.
- Glass to serve.
Ingredients
- Double shot of espresso
- 7-9 ice cubes
- Sugar to taste
- Tall glass to serve.
If there’s an espresso machine, then it’s well and good. If not, Nespresso will get the work done. 2 coffee capsules would be required here if a capsule machine is being used. Another option would be an alternative espresso maker or using Moka Pot, French Press, Aeropress etc to brew strong coffee. Let’s consider there’s an espresso machine at your place. So just brew a double shot of espresso. Then, transfer the espresso into a power blender or a milk frother or even a shakeable jar. Add around 7-9 large ice cubes and sugar (quantity based on preference) into it. Now, blend it or froth it or shake it depending on what you’ve used, whether it’s a blender or a frother or a shakeable jar for a few seconds until most of the ice cubes are crushed and a frothy drink is obtained.
It’s traditionally served in a tall glass, but you can also serve it in whatever glass you have. If it’s the warm season you’re in and the temperatures have gone up, it’s the best time to sip and enjoy the semi-crushed sweetened frothy espresso, the freddo espresso! Cardamom pods or vanilla extract or caramel or choco toppings can all be added to it if you’re looking for variations. Ice cream on top is another option if you wanna bring more excitement into it.
Substitutes to make freddo espresso –
Now, by chance if there’s no espresso machine or a nespresso machine at your place, then brew coffee using regular home brewing equipment and just follow the other steps.
If even that’s not possible, there’s another option. And that’s using instant espresso powder. Just dissolve 1 tablespoon of it in ¼ cup of hot water and stir. Then follow the remaining steps as mentioned in the above paragraph. However, this is the least preferred option.
How to make freddo cappuccino?
Equipment required
- Espresso machine or nespresso machine or (Moka pot, French press, Aeropress)
- Drink mixer or power blender or shakeable jar (optional)
- Milk frother
- Glass to serve
Ingredients
- Double shot of espresso
- 7-9 ice cubes
- Sugar to taste
- 120 ml of cold skimmed milk
- Tall glass to serve.
Okay, if drinking it straight black as an espresso is not how you prefer to drink your cup of coffee, then there is always the freddo cappuccino, as a milky frothy icy drink. By now, you know that espresso is the base in a cappuccino. So here, freddo espresso becomes the base on top of which cold foamed milk is added. To begin with, follow the steps of making freddo espresso explained above in this blog, and then pour it in a glass. Next, take cold skimmed milk as it froths the best. Second best is 2% fat milk. Cold whole milk doesn’t froth well, so it’s better if you’re not using it. Use it only if you don’t have other options at all. There is a difference of opinion regarding the ratio of milk and a double shot of espresso. As a double shot is 60 ml, we would like to take 120 ml of very cold milk in a container and then froth it. We’re just following the standard ratio of cappuccino which is espresso and milk in a 1:2 ratio. You can reduce the quantity of milk if you like a stronger coffee flavor. Anyways, take the milk in a container, followed by whipping it up using a milk frother. You’ll have to do it till you get a cold milky foam. Now pour this on your already prepared freddo espresso, and it’s time to drink it.
Wait, how do you drink? As it is… double layered without stirring or by stirring it? We drink it only after stirring so that the coffee flavor, foamy texture, perfect coldness and the milky notes are all summed up. Yea, it’s totally summed up in summer!
There’s a variation in it that when making espresso, espresso can be directly poured into the glass without frothing just like how you pour a normal hot espresso. Or it can be frothed and then poured into the glass, which makes it freddo espresso. Choose whichever method suits you best. Cold milky foam will be poured on the top anyways. Additions like cardamom pods or vanilla extract can be added to freddo cappuccino. Caramel and chocolate toppings are also other options. So is adding ice cream on top! In making an iced cappuccino, milk is not steamed. Instead cold milk is taken and whipped up to create foam.
Non dairy alternatives : Anyday oatmilk, almond milk, cashew milk etc can be used in place of dairy. Just that there will be a difference in flavor.
Do freddos have caffeine?
Unless and until you use decaf coffee to make espresso, regular coffee has caffeine. A double shot of espresso will have caffeine of around 130 mg. So whether you’re taking a freddo espresso or a freddo cappuccino, this much caffeine will be consumed, provided the drink is made as per instructions given here.
Conclusion –
Finally, we would like to add one thing. Iced coffee or cold coffee or frappe (all made up of instant coffee granules) have become famous coffee drinks all over the world during hot weather. There’s even iced brown sugar shaken espresso by Starbucks that’s catching up. Other than this, cold brew made up of good quality coffee beans and taken black is a great option, and is a good alternative choice in flavor and strength to freddo espresso. But when it comes to milk based coffee drinks, freddo or iced cappuccino is just amazing because of its cold and strong milky coffee flavor along with it being frothy.
A regular brewed coffee at home will be diluted, so adding milk to it just won’t give you the vibes which an espresso shot paired with milk gives…I mean which a cappuccino gives! If you’re really going that route… which route? Comparing it with other milky cold coffee drinks including brown sugar shaken espresso (which uses oat milk), a freddo cappuccino would be the preferred choice. Dalgona coffee from Macau, Korea which uses instant coffee had taken the social media by a storm during covid as whipped coffee, and it was made with normal instant coffee powder. If you compare it with Freddo cappuccino, then even here the latter has the upper hand due to its usage of high quality espresso instead of just instant coffee. Freddo cappuccino is also whipped, along with being much better in terms of quality and flavor.
But, it looks like it hasn’t got the appreciation and fame it deserves. So, let’s make it more popular. Let’s brew a storm with freddo cappuccino! I don’t have an espresso machine at home, what to do? If this is you, no worries bro. Just use a Nespresso machine which is reasonably priced to make amazing freddo cappuccino. Or there are other options as I’ve told above, check them out.