I think what this means is that it will be possible to have one be completely dairy-free, because I know it's already possible to ask for a frapp made with soya instead of the milk they use in addition to the base. I can't see why they'd make a big kerfluffle over something they'd already been doing all along.

Personally, I'm quite happy with Vivanno smoothies (sans the protein/fibre, made with soya milk) but they don't make those here in the UK... Ah well.

Frappuccinos were made with the bases:
coffee
light coffee
cream
light cream (no longer available)

the coffee bases were made with a quart of dairy-containing concentrate + water + a packet of instant coffee. The cream ones were made with a quart of nonfat milk plus a packet of powdered cream base (of course, containing dairy). The base is made ahead of time and stored in bulk in the fridge. To make a frappuccino, some of either base is added to a blender, plus ice, plus whatever syrups/powders the flavor requires (for coffee frappuccino, there's nothing added, but all the others have something added). Because no where is there a specific dairy ingredient added to an individual drink, that's why they couldn't be customized. We had to use the concentrate/powder for the frappuccinos, because of the texture they gave the drink. While I worked there I made frappuccinos for myself & a couple customers with an entirely soymilk base (+ a shot of espresso for the "coffee base,"), but the blended drinks usually melted easily and didn't have the same texture (however, it worked pretty well for strawberries & "cream" frappuccino). But, if you can get a barista to do this for you, you can get most frappuccinos vegan (except the ones with white mocha, caramel sauce, or the chips), though they're technically just the iced version of the drink, blended. Some customers wanted to do this with their non-fat drinks as well, and it came out even less resembling a frappuccino than the soy ones.

My guess is for this new, customisable frappuccino that they're changing the proportions baristas put in the blender (like Vivanno, maybe, where a little bit of a milk is added to the blender), but if using the regular concentrate/powder it would still be not vegan (much like Vivannos made with soymilk but still containing the whey protein powder). But, maybe they're changing the concentrate system altogether, and maybe they're taking the dairy out of the base and leaving the other ingredients (wholesome things like corn syrup solids). I don't know how that would work out, because it's probably the casein in the concentrate/powder that gives the frappuccino the ice-cream-type texture without melting immediately.

Either way, I guess we'll have to ask. And even if it's not vegan, you still might be able to talk a barista into making a vegan one without concentrate/powder.

yeah email them. that's the only way youre gonna get a definite answer

Frappuccinos were made with the bases:
coffee
light coffee
cream
light cream (no longer available)

the coffee bases were made with a quart of dairy-containing concentrate + water + a packet of instant coffee. The cream ones were made with a quart of nonfat milk plus a packet of powdered cream base (of course, containing dairy). The base is made ahead of time and stored in bulk in the fridge. To make a frappuccino, some of either base is added to a blender, plus ice, plus whatever syrups/powders the flavor requires (for coffee frappuccino, there's nothing added, but all the others have something added). Because no where is there a specific dairy ingredient added to an individual drink, that's why they couldn't be customized. We had to use the concentrate/powder for the frappuccinos, because of the texture they gave the drink. While I worked there I made frappuccinos for myself & a couple customers with an entirely soymilk base (+ a shot of espresso for the "coffee base,"), but the blended drinks usually melted easily and didn't have the same texture (however, it worked pretty well for strawberries & "cream" frappuccino). But, if you can get a barista to do this for you, you can get most frappuccinos vegan (except the ones with white mocha, caramel sauce, or the chips), though they're technically just the iced version of the drink, blended. Some customers wanted to do this with their non-fat drinks as well, and it came out even less resembling a frappuccino than the soy ones.

My guess is for this new, customisable frappuccino that they're changing the proportions baristas put in the blender (like Vivanno, maybe, where a little bit of a milk is added to the blender), but if using the regular concentrate/powder it would still be not vegan (much like Vivannos made with soymilk but still containing the whey protein powder). But, maybe they're changing the concentrate system altogether, and maybe they're taking the dairy out of the base and leaving the other ingredients (wholesome things like corn syrup solids). I don't know how that would work out, because it's probably the casein in the concentrate/powder that gives the frappuccino the ice-cream-type texture without melting immediately.

Either way, I guess we'll have to ask. And even if it's not vegan, you still might be able to talk a barista into making a vegan one without concentrate/powder.

This is so helpful. You answered several questions I'd had in my head about coffee drink preparations at Starbucks. Sometimes I'm limited in my coffeehouse options, especially when I travel. Thanks so much, faunablues.

oh and btw you can make the viviano's without the protein powder and use soymilk to make them vegan... except the chocolate one right?

The Vivannos are vegan if you choose soymilk and no protein powder. The "mocha sauce"(actually contains no coffee) that is used for all the chocolate drinks (vivanno, hot chocolate, mocha, chocolate fraps, and the sauce used on top of some drinks) is made from cocoa, sugar, artificial vanilla, and hot water. We had to prepare it every morning... best smelling thing there =)

However, their "signature" hot chocolates are not vegan. They didn't have these while I worked there, so I'm not sure what made it not vegan. But the regular ("classic"?) is still the same old thing - mocha sauce, vanilla syrup, milk of choice, optional whipped cream.

Most of the hot/iced drinks can be made vegan, except for those with a syrup base containing dairy: caramel sauce (e.g. caramel macchiato), white chocolate sauce (white mocha, white hot chocolate), and pumpkin spice when it's in season. Also, the toffee nut syrup contains dairy-derived flavors, but that's only in a drink if you specifically request it. The chai concentrate used for chai lattes (iced or hot) or chai fraps contains honey. For a hot chai, though, you can get a "chai misto," which is half brewed chai tea and half steamed milk of choice. It's cheaper than a chai latte, actually (well, maybe until you add a syrup). An iced chai made this way is pretty impossible unless you want to wait around for the tea to get cold (so I could do it for myself when I worked there, but most customers opted for the hot chai instead).

Other vegan things:
matcha powder (just green tea + some sugar)
vanilla bean powder (it's used for the vanilla bean and caffe vanilla fraps, but you can add it to other things). the vanilla powder at the bar is also vegan.
most of the syrups, including gingerbread, caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, cinnamon dolce, etc.
strawberry sauce (used in strawb & cream frap, strawb & banana vivanno)
lemonade
all the teas

the chips used for the chocolate chip and java chip fraps aren't vegan (though they used to be!).

also, you can get the caramel apple cider made vegan (sort of). Normally that drink is hot apple juice + cinnamon dolce + whipped cream + caramel sauce. You'd just have to skip the last two ingredients.

and finally... if you want a soy cappuccino, ask if they can use soymilk that's been in the fridge (it's the quart carton, so it doesn't have to be in the fridge until it's opened, but at some stores they like to keep it in there anyway). Cold milk of any type froths up a lot better, and room temp soymilk doesn't make much foam. A lot of my coworkers thought that soy caps just didn't work until we started keeping the soymilk in the fridge. : /

just to clarify.. - is the caramel sauce different than the caramel syrup?  ones vegan and ones not?

(not that i ever go to starbucks cus i can never remember all this stuff and i figure it's all probably terrible for me anyway)

One time I ordered a vivanno at my own starbucks, and asked the guy working to not put protein powder in 'cause I'm vegan (they all knew, since I brought them vegan cupcakes and such). I'm standing at the bar, and whadoyouknow, he starts putting the powder in.
And I thought I was being "picky" by always making my own drinks...

I guess we'll have to wait : /