I actually didn’t start drinking coffee regularly until I was thirty.

I’d lived previously in Portland, Oregon and had watched Starbucks and competitors (Peet’s, Coffee People, etc.) take over the city. Did people really need coffee that badly? From so many rapidly sprouting shops? I sure didn’t, or so I thought.

But after I’d returned from graduate school in Australia I started temping in Los Angeles, saving money for Southeast Asia travel. And Starbucks sucked me in with their chocolate flavored coffees. A frappucino? It’s like two scoops of ice cream with a cup of coffee tipped in. A coffee milk shake.

And now that same degree of coffee culture has come to Cambodia. Cambodia’s not a rich country. But coffee shops can be found in any major city here, where you can pay 3$-$4 for a fancy cup of java. It’s quite popular.

My thought on this: people are finicky about our ‘caffeine delivery system.’ At some point (in Portland or Phnom Penh) you get fresh ground / brewed coffee on a regular basis, and you never want to go back to Nescafe. Not everyone can afford it, or wants it. But it’s a reliable business that doesn’t require huge education. (And it has high cash turnaround which makes it excellent for money laundering.)

In my grant writing work I needed to be alert and focused, so I justified getting a Mocha Frappe from Brown or other venues quite regularly. (I haven’t gotten to the point where I’ve invested in a home coffee grinder yet.)

When I finished my most recent job at Diakonia, I decided it was time to look into making coffee drinks from home. Spending $4 once or twice a day can add up in a country known for cheap living.

I had already invested in a fancy $100 blender for making fruit smoothies. (I killed a $25 blender so it was time to up my game.) So I tasked myself to making a passable Mocha Frappe. (I love my coffee cold and it’s warm in Phnom Penh, even in the morning.)

As an additional challenge, I wanted it lower in calories than say a Starbucks drink; their Mocha Frappucino clocks in at 500 calories for the largest size. That’s maybe one meal’s worth of calories. Nope, I’m trying to be healthy.

After some experimentation (chocolate milk, chocolate soy milk, etc.) with ingredients I settled on chocolate almond milk (Blue Diamond) as having a good strong flavor. I can’t buy it unsweetened here; so I’m using the kind with sugar.

For the coffee, I tried making it at home but eventually settled on getting fresh ground coffee at a kiosk near my apartment. $1 a cup, so worth it. (I tried Chinese bottled coffee; never again.) I also use zero calorie Equal sweetener. (Some may prefer it unsweetened but for me this last item is a game changer. People tend to have strong opinions about artificial sweeteners though.)

Some frappe recipes use hot coffee and a ton of ice plus chocolate syrup. I simply mix the coffee one-to-one with chocolate almond milk. Put in the freezer, about two cups worth. Better to have some extra mix you can re-freeze rather than too little.

To make: take frozen coffee mixture out of freezer. Let sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature. (I find it handy to freeze in a plastic cup and loosen by running water on the side of the cup.)

Put in your blender with an equivalent volume of chilled coffee/chocolate almond milk. (Do not use warm coffee.) Blend thoroughly.

For effect (I go all out,) I use fat free whipped topping; 10 calories. I also use (and re-wash) plastic straws. Sue me. Presentation matters, if you’re trying to beat the fancy coffee places and their prices.

So in the morning: take coffee mixture out of freezer, hop in shower, blend when you’re done. Or just mix straight from the refrigerator if you don’t need it super cold.

Total cost: $4 for a container of Almond Milk, $1 for coffee; by volume, about $2 per drink.

Total calories: coffee is zero calories. The almond milk is 100 calories an eight ounce glass. (And topping 10 calories.) So for a large (16 ounce) frappe, that’s about 110 calories total.

In all fairness coffee joints are a great place to be sociable, so don’t hold yourself back! But these days, I’m the killjoy who’s ordering tea. I’ve gotten my dose of caffeine at home.