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If there's one culinary trend that seems to be all over the place these days, it's high-protein foods that no one asked for. This macronutrient addition is actually unnecessary for almost everybody, since most Americans already get plenty of protein in their diets. Nevertheless, food brands persist, and Starbucks is one of the more egregious culprits.
The menu currently features eight different flavors of protein lattes, but according to social media, the chain may be planning to introduce a new item it calls Power Frapps, which are, yes, Frappuccinos with added protein powder. These are said to be currently market testing in Washington state and are available in Caramel Coffee, Matcha Berry, and Strawberry Mango flavors. While some people may be excited by the idea, others are less than thrilled.
One Instagram user, who actually tried the Caramel Coffee version, bluntly said, "It doesn't taste like anything." Many baristas are also extremely displeased at the prospect of making it. It's bad enough they've had to deal with Starbucks bringing back the nostalgic Unicorn Frappuccino, not to mention all those ridiculous secret menu drinks baristas wish you'd stop ordering; some workers have actually threatened to quit in response to the latest outrage. Others, while they may not go to those lengths, aren't shy about publicly expressing their displeasure. As one person put it, "As a Starbucks Barista....NO!!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! We need simplicity more than anything!" Another noted that having to add scoops of blending powder to numerous drinks per day seems to be causing respiratory difficulty for some workers.
Read more: Bartenders Chime In On 12 Drink Orders That Ring Alarm Bells
This power Frappuccino is actually a reboot
Test-market Power Frapps may be flying out the door just now, but will this trend persist if Starbucks rolls them out nationwide? The chain's employees aren't the only ones expressing skepticism about this new product. As some customers have remarked, the added protein does not offset the nutritional drawbacks inherent to a Frappuccino, so this sugary drink seems an unlikely candidate for a macro makeover. What social media does not seem to be aware of, though, is that Starbucks tried (and evidently failed) to introduce a similar concept nearly 30 years ago.
The chain first offered a Power Frappuccino back in 1998, at a time when the drink itself was still in its infancy. (It made its debut in 1995.) This was basically a $0.50 upgrade in the form of a powder that boosted the drink's vitamin and mineral content — although it didn't include protein since this nutrient had yet to become a national obsession. Apparently, this addition didn't affect the flavor too much, and a Starbucks spokesperson at the time said that the original Power Frapp sold fairly well. Nevertheless, Power Frapp 1.0 has long since sunk into obscurity, possibly because people figured out that they could pop a Flintstones chewable before drinking their Frapp for the same effect at a fraction of the cost. If baristas have any say in the matter, the reboot, too, will vanish even faster than the divisive Starbucks Oleato olive oil coffee drinks.
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