Welcome to Frappé Nation

Some look at a glass of frappé and see only a mixture of instant coffee, sugar, water, and ice. The citizens of Frappé Nation look at the same glass and see a symbol of idyllic summers in Greece.

The frappé is not merely a morning pick-me-up or a refreshing afternoon break. The fabulously foamy iced coffee lifts moods, stimulates conversation, announces your connection to a lifestyle unique to Greece, and connects you to it when you’re away. It is nothing less than a modern Greek elixir.

Frappé Nation: the book

In Frappé Nation: Ora Gia Kafe (Time for Coffee), the first book to document the frappé way of life, authors Vivian Constantinopoulos and Daniel Young investigate the bond between modern Greeks and their national drink. This special relationship is rooted in an ancestral thirst for public dialogue and interaction, hence the chapter they devote to “The Ancient Art of Greek Conversation.” Other chapter titles indicate the scope of Vivian and Daniel’s cultural exploration:

* The Story of Greek Coffee and Coffee in Greece
* From Kafeneio to Café to Cafeteria
* The Invention of Frappé
* The Science of Frappé Foam
* The Frappé Formula (how to make a frappé)
* The Frappe Diaspora

Published in 2006 by Potamos in a single, bilingual English-Greek edition, Frappé Nation is an illustrated travelogue of the Hellenic café landscape, crisscrossing the cities and islands of Greece, from Corfu to Rhodes, Thessaloniki to Chania. Profiles of distinctive coffeehouses are animated by snapshots and anecdotes of the characters who make these places so special.

Order bilingual edition now:

From Greece

From Europe and North America

Frappé Nation: the café

The book is not our story so much as the collection of many stories. To enrich this collection, you will soon be invited to visit the café, a forum devoted to the caffeinated experiences and passions of the Frappé Nation community. Share your opinions on the coolest cafés, best baristas or sexiest servers in Greece or wherever you are in the world. Vivian and Daniel will drop in from time to time to listen, learn, and join in.