Frozen Coffee

What Is Coffee Granita? Coffee granita (granita di caffè) is a semi-frozen Italian dessert from Sicily — somewhere between shaved ice and sorbet in texture, with intensely concentrated espresso flavor. Unlike smooth ice cream or sorbet, granita has a deliberately coarse, crystalline texture created by repeatedly scraping the freezing mixture with a fork. In Sicily, granita di caffè con panna (coffee granita with cream) is a traditional breakfast — served in a glass with a brioche roll for dipping. As an afternoon treat or dessert, it’s one of the simplest and most refreshing frozen coffee preparations you can make at home, with no equipment beyond a shallow dish and a fork. ...

A Starbucks Frappuccino costs $6–8 and often has more sugar than a can of soda. A homemade version takes 3 minutes, costs under $2, and you control exactly what goes in it — including how strong the coffee is and how sweet you want it. This guide covers the classic coffee frappuccino, every popular variation, and the technique that makes the difference between a watery blend and a thick, restaurant-quality result. (For the bigger picture — what a “frappé” actually is, how the Frappuccino was invented in 1992 by The Coffee Connection in Boston, why Starbucks owns the trademark, and how the blended Frappuccino differs from the shaken Greek frappé — see our what is a frappé guide.) ...