February 22, 2010

10 of The Worst and Most Fat-Filled Starbucks Beverages

Posted in Coffee, Featured by Coty | Tags: Brulee, Chocolate, Eggnog, Espresso, Frappuccino, Java, Latte, Mocha, Peppermint, Starbucks

To the chagrin of the traditional coffee house, Starbucks has become a mainstay in cities across America and the world. As we know, coffee can have many health benefits including benefits to cardiovascular health. Starbucks, however, serves up some of the most unhealthy and calorie filled “coffee” drinks on the market. Here we take a look at 10 of the worst drinks that you can order up at your local Starbucks. If maximizing your total calories and fat intake is on your list of priorities then this is the definitive beverage list for you.

*Note that the chart reflects the venti with whole milk and whipped cream options. Please see below for 2% and nonfat milk options.

[View with PicLens]

1. Peppermint White Hot Chocolate with whole milk and whipped cream. Damage: 730 (690 with 2% milk) calories venti, 27 (22 with 2% milk) grams total fat in venti.

2. Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with whole milk and whipped cream. Damage: 700 (680 with 2% milk) calories venti, 26 (23 with 2% milk) grams total fat.

3. Mint Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino Blended Creme with chocolate whipped cream. Damage: 680 calories, 21 grams total fat (same calorie and total fat count for the venti whole milk, 2% milk and nonfat options according to Starbucks.com).

4. Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee with whipped cream. Damage: 660 calories, 19 grams total fat (same calorie and total fat count for the venti whole milk, 2% milk and nonfat options according to Starbucks.com).

5. Tazo Green Tea Frappuccino Blended Crème with whipped cream. Damage: 650 calories, 15 grams total fat (same calorie and total fat count for the venti whole milk, 2% milk and nonfat options according to Starbucks.com).

6. Eggnog Latte. Damage: 630 calories (610 with 2% milk), 30 (27 with 2% milk) grams total fat.

7. Iced White Chocolate Mocha with whole milk and whipped cream. Damage: 630 (610 with 2% milk) calories, 27 (24 with 2% milk) grams total fat.

8. Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Coffee with whipped cream. Damage: 600 calories, 23 grams total fat (same calorie and total fat count for the venti whole milk and 2% milk options according to Starbucks.com).

9. Caramel Brulee Crème with whole milk and whipped cream. Damage: 600 (560 with 2% milk) calories, 22 (16 with 2% milk) grams total fat.

10. Espresso Truffle with whole milk and whipped cream. Damage: 560 calories, 21 grams total fat (whole and 2% milk options not available).

Some things to note: all of the items here are the venti counterparts. You can definitely knock down a few calories if you:

Drop the size of your drink to a grande or a small.
Choose 2% or nonfat milk over the very fattening whole milk option.
If you want to drastically reduce the total fat count then pass on the whipped cream option.
Just say no to anything Peppermint from Starbucks.
Stay away from their Frappucinno menu but I quickly found out that simple drinks like hot chocolate can be just as dangerous.
If you just have to have a Frappucinno then get one of their light blended options.

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Photos provided by Flickr users: danielparece, AK37, PowerBookTrance, iiraa, KenobiWanX, Katherine Ridgely, and raspberryteacup.

37 Comments to “10 of The Worst and Most Fat-Filled Starbucks Beverages”

February 22, 2010 at 1:27 pm
10 of the worst and most fat-filled Starbucks beverages « Bob Morris: Investing, tech, coffee. says:

[...] 730 calories? [...]
February 23, 2010 at 7:52 am
Jarrett says:

Didn’t Starbucks switch to 2% milk for everything?
February 23, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Sally says:

Actually, it’s not the peppermint at all. It’s the mocha/white chocolate mocha. Those are the fat and calorie killers. The peppermint is like any other basic syrup (vanilla, hazelnut, etc.), and comes in at about 20 calories per pump.
February 23, 2010 at 3:51 pm
First Inaugural Fat Tuesday « Shaecation says:

[...] What are the ten worst drinks you can order from Starbucks by calories? Find out. [...]
February 23, 2010 at 8:35 pm
CABarista says:

I find it ironic that you refer to fraps as coffee drinks-they are not really at all, and esp the ones that are cream base-oops ! (since the frap base is made with skim milk and cannot be changed, should I assume you are referring to a tea latte???) also, your info is off as whole milk is no longer the default, 2% milk is. Also, it’s the white mocha that is high , not peppermint…
also, the base of the espresso truffle is made with skim and cannot be changed…
so in a nut shell, maybe do a little more research before posting something?
February 23, 2010 at 8:57 pm
CABarista says:

You attempt to excuse your misinformation on starbucks gossip by saying those options are given at starbucks.com: There is no whole milk or 2% options for the.espresso truffle..
Most people purchase grandes and talls, with a very slim minority ordering ventis, so no, placing the venti size for shock value does not help your cause.
February 24, 2010 at 4:17 am
Eavesdropping Is What Guests Do Best… says:

[...] The ten most caloric Starbucks beverages. [CallMeThirsty] [...]
February 24, 2010 at 9:16 am
Coty says:

Hi CABarista, first of all, thanks for stopping by and commenting – I appreciate your input. You should note that the list is of 10 the worst Starbucks “Beverages” not just coffees. I don’t think that I stated this is a list of the 10 worst coffees. Secondly, I understand that whole milk is not provided by default, however, it still is an option. I will note in the article that there is no whole and 2% option for the espresso truffle. Finally, just because “most” people order grande and small, it doesn’t mean that the venti size doesn’t exist. And even if I did make this a grande chart, these items would still, theoretically be the worst (calorie/fat wise) available.
February 24, 2010 at 9:21 am
Coty says:

Also note that at the end of the article I mention ways to reduce the calorie/fat count:

Drop the size of your drink to a grande or a small.
Choose 2% or nonfat milk over the very fattening whole milk option.
If you want to drastically reduce the total fat count then pass on the whipped cream option.
Just say no to anything Peppermint from Starbucks.
Stay away from their Frappucinno menu but I quickly found out that simple drinks like hot chocolate can be just as dangerous.
If you just have to have a Frappucinno then get one of their light blended options.
February 24, 2010 at 5:41 pm
CABarista says:

Pardon me for reading the article, not just the headline. You wrote: “As we know, coffee can have many health benefits including benefits to cardiovascular health. Starbucks, however, serves up some of the most unhealthy and calorie filled “coffee” drinks on the market.”

You provided skewed and incorrect data. Not everything you posted was based on the site seeing as , for example, the fraps are not made with whole milk (nor is this option posted on their site) . So, false information for your own purposes.
February 24, 2010 at 11:03 pm
Coty says:

Hey there CABarista, I did in fact say “As we know, coffee can have many health benefits including benefits to cardiovascular health. Starbucks, however, serves up some of the most unhealthy and calorie filled “coffee” drinks on the market.” But the following sentence states, “Here we take a look at 10 of the worst drinks that you can order up at your local Starbucks.” I state here “10 worst drinks” not the “10 worst coffee drinks.” And so that sentence implies that we are taking a look at the entire scope of their drink menu, not just their strictly coffee drinks.

I’ve already agreed with the whole milk vs. 2% vs. nonfat milk issue. In fact, I provide numbers for the 2% options. I provide those numbers in the list below the chart. Would you like me to update the chart itself as well with the 2% and non fat numbers?

And again, the numbers are taken directly from the Starbucks nutrition guide on their website. If they do NOT offer the whole milk option for the fraps then then Starbucks should remove that from the website. Once more, all of these numbers are taken from Starbucks.com. If someones ASKS for a frap with whole milk will you not make it for them?

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Starbucks and I go there often (I’m a weekend warrior when it comes to Starbucks). I even get the fraps once in a great while. All I wanted to post here was a list of 10 of the worst drinks (calories/fat wise) that you can order from Strabucks.

And once again, if I did by default make the numbers based on the grande and 2% or nonfat options, wouldn’t these ten still be amongst the 10 worst? All being said, these are arguably the fattiest drinks that you can order at your local Starbucks.

Out of curiosity, which drinks would you consider to be the worst available? I’m interested if only because I’d like to taste them at one point or another. And if they are worse then the ones listed here then I’d definitely add them to the list.

Thanks for your enthusiasm and passion towards this article.
February 24, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Rick OMUNKY says:

You tell ‘em Coty!
February 27, 2010 at 8:33 am
Dickie says:

With regards to the whole milke frappuccino option. The only way to get a whole milk frap would be to make the ‘cream base’ mixture with whole milk at the begining of the day. It’s not really possible to measure out enough powder for one beverage. Although if your store was ok with you wasting the excess I guess it would be possible. Very rare though. But why would you want extra fat?
March 2, 2010 at 3:51 am
The Top 10 Worst-for-You Starbucks Drinks | OnlineFoodReviews says:

[...] knew eggnog lattes weren’t helping my waistline, but this list of the top 10 most caloric Starbucks specialty drinks on CallMeThirsty.com nearly gave me a coronary! At the top, clocking in at 730 calories, is the [...]
March 2, 2010 at 3:07 pm
uberVU - social comments says:

Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by cotygonzales: RT @CallMeThirsty: Check out 10 of the most calorie filled & fatty Starbucks drinks. I bet a few of these are your faves! http://su.pr/2lXuBr…
March 2, 2010 at 9:37 pm
George says:

Starbuck’s default milk is 2%
March 5, 2010 at 10:09 am
BaristaBot says:

I have to agree with the other barista… by stating the calories in whole milk it is skewed information. 2% is our default so your results should be presented using 2% milk. Not whole. Whole milk is rarely requested in every store I have been in. And I have worked many.
I am not arguing with anything else you said. I just wanted to point out that your results (to be more realistic) should have been done with 2% not whole, since to get whole milk you need request it when ordering.
March 9, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Co-Tee TV Episode 56: Found Item Clothing, Gesu Cristo and GIVEAWAY! | Coty Gonzales | T-Shirt Reviews, Interviews and Coupon Codes says:

[...] 10 of the Worst and Fat-Filled Starbucks Beverages [...]
March 13, 2010 at 6:37 am
The Coty Gonzales Interview says:

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March 21, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Butthole says:

I disagree. The fattiest drink Starbucks would have is an Iced Venti Soy with Whip and Mocha and Caramel Sauce on Top Peppermint White Mocha… just saying.
April 21, 2010 at 5:46 am
Help me with my speech! - Page 3 - Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums says:

[...] or Coffee Drins from starbucks. America's Unhealthiest Drinks Exposed on Yahoo! Health or this 10 of The Worst and Most Fat-Filled Starbucks Beverages | Call Me Thirsty If you have class members who actually have these drinks you could point them out in the room. [...]
May 27, 2010 at 6:34 am
Food links: Kevin Gillespie at Publix, Atlantans love to dine out, and fast food news | Omnivore Atlanta says:

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August 2, 2010 at 6:20 am
Sami says:

I work at a starbucks and our default for frapps is whole milk…for every other drink it is 2% but rele i think it should b changed for frapps! this world is so unhealthy already we should do everything we can to help. Some people may not even know they r made with whole milk and are just packing on the pounds. And i agree it is the white mocha and mocha sauce adding calories not the syrups although some people who get 6 or 7 pumps of a syrup should watch out. The whip is no good either and every day i see people order extra caramel sauce and whipped cream on a venti size and i can only think of how many calories and fat they have probably at least a few times a week…only from a drink! just thought id put my input in
October 17, 2010 at 3:49 am
consumerist chronicles 2: drinking healthy | radical chick says:

[...] — talk about the lesser of two evils. (those of you who love the Starbucks frapps, good lord, those are practically slices of cake … huge slices of [...]
October 20, 2010 at 8:08 am
The Best Part of Waking Up is… a Box of Twinkies in Your Cup? « Are You There, Deep Fried Oreos? Its Me, Ohio says:

[...] among coffee drinkers. But what if drinking coffee that tastes like Christmas is packing on those unwanted calories? A venti Peppermint White Hot Chocolate is a damaging 730 calories with 27 grams of fat. Most think [...]
November 19, 2010 at 12:37 pm
vaBarista says:

Standard fraps are made with whole milk now. We stopped premixing our frap bases a while ago. CaBarista and Dickie: why hasn’t your store switched over yet to the bottled bases?

There is an option to make them “light” – nonfat milk, no whip, sugar-free frap coffee base.

Also, very rarely do people order lattes with whole milk. Should of stuck with the standard 2% for your list.
November 19, 2010 at 12:43 pm
vaBarista says:

Oh, and I think I’d go with a venti 8 pump cinnamon dolce breve with whip black and white mocha as the worst drink. (yes, someone actually ordered that once – Bleh!)
December 29, 2010 at 2:58 am
drinking healthy: mondo juice | pinoy palate says:

[...] — talk about the lesser of two evils. (those of you who love the Starbucks frapps, good lord, those are practically slices of cake … huge slices of [...]
January 18, 2011 at 3:20 am
Starbucks Introduces Gut-Busting “Trenta” Drink Size - KOOL 98 says:

[...] for what they pack in there: some of Starbucks’ cold drinks, like the popular Frappuccino, already tip the scales at 700-plus calories in Venti [...]
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Starbucks Introduces Gut-Busting “Trenta” Drink Size - The River 100.5 FM says:

[...] for what they pack in there: some of Starbucks’ cold drinks, like the popular Frappuccino, already tip the scales at 700-plus calories in Venti [...]
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Starbucks Introduces Gut-Busting “Trenta” Drink Size - 92.1 KISSFM - All The Hits! says:

[...] for what they pack in there: some of Starbucks’ cold drinks, like the popular Frappuccino, already tip the scales at 700-plus calories in Venti [...]
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Is Starbucks Ruining Your Diet? | Fresh N Lean says:

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May 3, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Jay Schwartz says:

Thanks for the tip! I needed something to wash down that slice of chocolate cheese cake and those 2 McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounders with (burp).
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