An ode to ice cubes!
Summer’s drawing to an end but it is still fairly warm here, especially at noons, so iced coffee remains our favorite cool-me-down & pick-me-up tool! Here’s how you can make a true Cappuccino Freddo, the Greek way:
A hot cappuccino is traditionally prepared with espresso, hot milk, and steamed milk froth. A Cappuccino Freddo is prepared with espresso and cold milk froth, that’s whipped into a smooth cream—this prevents it from dissolving all too quickly but, rather, the froth is better retained and milk is released slowly into the coffee, sip after sip.
You do need to have an espresso machine, but since these things have gotten so hip and trendy in the past few years, it is quite easy to find really good espresso machines for a fairly good price!
In case you’re in the hunt for one, my word of advice is to go for pump-driven (as opposed to steam-driven), semi-automatic with good quality boiler(s). You’ll have to choose between using ground espresso or pre-portioned pods/capsules (faster and more convenient but they cost more per serving). Some machines will take both.
Σε πείσμα το σημερινού καιρού –βρέχει, μπουμπουνίζει και ρίχνει κεραυνούς από το πρωί– είπα να σας φτιάξω έναν απολαυστικό Freddo Cappuccino. Οι οδηγίες παρασκευής, σε περίπτωση που έχετε μηχανή espresso στο σπίτι, είναι απλούστατες και τις δημοσιεύω περισσότερο για τους ξένους αναγνώστες μου που έχουν ένα θεματάκι με τον κρύο καφέ και παθαίνουν την πλάκα τους κάθε φορά που ταξιδεύουν καλοκαίρι στην Ελλάδα – επιτρέψτε μου το σχόλιο, αλλά με εξαίρεση τα κρύα ροφήματα τύπου Starbucks, στο εξωτερικό o κρύος καφές είναι συνήθως υπερβολικά αραιωμένος! Έχω περάσει άπειρα καλοκαίρια φτιάχνοντας μανιωδώς τον έναν φραπέ μετά τον άλλο για να ευχαριστήσω μουσαφίρηδες, οικογένεια και φίλους, που κατεβαίνουν από το αεροπλάνο με τη λαχτάρα του ελληνικού παγωμένου καφέ ενώ τα τελευταία χρόνια, κάθε φθινόπωρο, λαμβάνω μέιλ του τύπου «μας λείπει ο ήλιος, μας λείπει η θάλασσα, μας λείπουν οι freddo!»
Ours is a fairly old, combination machine (makes both espresso and filter coffee) by Krups, which works like a charm after years of ruthless usage. I have had no reason to replace it, no matter how fancier the newer models are!

Εκτός από τη μηχανή espresso θα χρειαστείτε και μια καλή, δυνατή φραπιέρα (ή φραπεδιέρα, όπως θέλετε πείτε την, οι απόψεις διίστανται).
You will also need a coffee mixer to make the cream. (The special froth steam nozzle on your machine is for hot cappuccino coffee only. The same thing applies to any froth maker you might already own unless it specifically says it has a cold function as well.) Mind you, it has to be a strong coffee mixer—not the pesky hand-held ones.


Before we get onto the milk creaming business, however, gather your tools:

Εάν η μηχανή σας παίρνει κάψουλες διαλέξτε κάψουλα για lungo ή intenso. Αν όχι γεμίστε με την ποικιλία espresso της αρεσκείας σας τη διπλή μεζούρα της μηχανής σας και φτιάξτε τον καφέ σας ως συνήθως.
If your machine takes pre-portioned pods or capsules you should choose the one you use for an espresso lungo or an Espresso Intenso (meaning the serving will be worth two shots). If your machine doesn’t take pre-portioned pods/capsules it should come with stainless steel filter baskets in two sizes, one-shot (one demitasse cup) and two-shots (two demitasse cups). Choose the two-shot filter basket:

Fill it up with your favorite variety of espresso ground coffee and press it firmly. This is called tamping, and you either have a tamper that came with your machine or a tamping tool (usually the back of your measuring scoop).

Place the filter basket in the portafilter, hook it in place, and make your espresso as usual.

Στο φλυτζάνι με τον ζεστό καφέ προσθέτετε την ποσότητα ζάχαρης που θέλετε και ανακατεύετε καλά για να διαλυθεί. Μην τον αφήσετε να «κάθεται» ενώ περιμένετε να κρυώσει! Γεμίζετε αμέσως το ποτήρι σας με πάγο και ρίχνετε τον καφέ.
*Για Freddo Espresso ρίχνετε τον καφέ στο δοχείο της φραπιέρας με 1-2 παγάκια, χτυπάτε δυνατά μέχρι να «αφρίσει» (κάνει κρέμα σαν του φραπέ) και σερβίρετε σε ποτήρι (ψηλό ή κοντό, τα γούστα διαφέρουν!) με πάγο.
Remember you are running a two-shot-worth serving in one cup, which is why you should use a tea-cup or an espresso-lungo cup instead of a regular espresso demitasse cup. Add any sugar you take in your coffee at this point and stir well to dissolve it (I have mine without). Do not let it sit around or wait for it to cool down. Fill a tall glass with ice & pour your espresso immediately over it:

Χτυπάτε περίπου 200 ml γάλα με 2 παγάκια στην φραπιέρα μέχρι να γίνει κρέμα. Προσωπικά έχω δοκιμάσει συμπυκνωμένο, με κανονικά λιπαρά, με λίγα λιπαρά ακόμα και εμπλουτισμένο με στερόλες, όλα έχουν πήξει ικανοποιητικά!. Μου πήρε χρόνο όμως μέχρι να βρω τη σωστή φραπιέρα!
Throw two more ice cubes in your coffee mixer cup and pour in 200 ml of milk. You can use semi-skimmed, skimmed, or condensed unsweetened milk. I haven’t tried any half & half (that’s hard to find here) or almond/coconut/soy milk, so I don’t really know how they’d behave. If you’ve used any of these before and know they get creamy when whipped, then feel free to use anything you like. The milk should be cold, straight out of the fridge.

Turn your mixer on and run it for a good 3 to 4 minutes…
This is how thick it should get (not as thick as whipped cream but quite dense):

The moment cream pours over coffee = m.a.g.i.c.


Λίγη κανελίτσα, et voilà…
Sprinkle with some cinnamon on top and ta-dah:


Enjoy!

Looks amazing! I’m wondering what milk you used, I’m in Canada so I’m hoping there’s an equivalent
Hi Claire, thank you for your comment and I’m so, so sorry for the super late reply, but I haven’t been on my blog for ages!
I mostly use dairy milk, non or low-fat. You do not need to use full-fat milk as that is actually not an important factor in the frothing process. Proteins, rather, do the trick, which is why the special barista milk, used in coffee shops, is usually enriched with them. I froth it using the drink mixer shown in the blog post or a Nespresso Aeroccino.
Over the years, I’ve come to conclude the following:
• Regular milk (skimmed or semi-skimmed) froths better with the Aeroccino and so does the barista milk. Both should be used chilled, straight out of the fridge, and 1-2 ice cubes need also be added if they are whipped in the standing mixer.
• Condensed unsweetened milk (aka evaporated milk) froths the best, both with the Aeroccino and with the mixer. It produces the silkiest, smoothest cream you can get.
• Soy milk froths poorly in the standing mixer. (Use chilled, straight out of the fridge but without any ice cubes, or you will get a whole lotta watered milk.)
• Almond milk—like any other nut milk here—doesn’t froth cold at all for me! I’ve watched people froth nut & grain milk quite successfully in other countries and I’ve come to the conclusion that the water ratio may vary from country to country even though the products may be of the same brand!
• Accordingly, coconut milk here doesn’t froth at all in the Aeroccino and barely fluffs with the mixer (with no ice cubes added). Imported canned coconut milk is less watered-down and whips up really stiff with the mixer, but it’s not as silky smooth as condensed milk. It froths up poorly in the Aeroccino.
I have more details about all this, in another blog post (→ here) even though that’s also been written quite some time ago and could use an update. Thanks again for stopping by. It really helps my little blog and it is very much appreciated!
What size glass. 12oz, 16oz? Looks like your amount made fits it perfectly.
Hi Mary! So sorry for the late reply, your message was somehow shoved in the spam folder. I’m actually using what a barista might find the wrong size for a Freddo cup, about 9 oz (I realize now it looks bigger in the pics, but this is only because of the close-ups). Professionals usually go for 8 oz tall cups so that the coffee doesn’t get too watered-down. It ultimately depends on how much ice you prefer and I tend to go a bit extra. If you enjoy a bigger cup and like the extra ice too, I would suggest doing three shots of espresso instead of two.
Great recipe and great presentation as always! I love how you present your blog: clear and lovely outfit and great photos!
Thank you so much Adriana, means the world to me!
Wonderful!!! You are spot on!!
Please tell us where to get the cold milk blender – or a few brands to try. So difficult to find and as you pointed out, a really strong and powerful blender is needed to get the milk into cream
Thanks! I’m so glad you found it helpful. 🙂
I bought my blender from a local market quite some time ago which is why I didn’t mention it. I had a quick look around Amazon and found this: http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-730C-Classic-DrinkMaster/dp/B00004X135/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409979206&sr=8-2&keywords=frappe+maker+machine . According to the description it has a 70-watt motor (generally speaking, the more Watts the better the results!) There are more fancy ones (for commercial use even) but they are a bit pricey. If you don’t mind the price you could look into something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Waring-PDM112-Drink-Mixer-Retro/dp/B00004SC54/ref=pd_tcs_subst_k_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JB9CV8SV671FHNXQZ1P . If you don’t want to pay as much for something so particular, other solutions could include a Magic Bullet (http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Bullet-MBR-1701-17-Piece-Express/dp/B001WAKFDY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409980273&sr=8-1&keywords=bullet+blender) that may come in handy for much more than just coffee or any other standard blender you may already have!
I hope I’ve helped a little and thanks so much for stopping by, I really appreciate it! 🙂
That looks sooooooo good, make me two, please!
Would be glad to! 🙂 🙂 🙂