This fall, two coffee shops have pumpkin flavored drinks. There's Starbucks' classic "Pumpkin Spice Latte" and Caribou Coffee’s "Wild Pumpkin". I have always been a long-time fan of Starbucks' version. It's the stuff my dreams are made of. I can manage a small (tall, 12 oz.) serving with nonfat dairy and whipped cream for 260 calories. Take off the whip and the drink drops to 200 calories. Not bad for something that is SO DELICIOUS. I tried Caribou's version just today and when I first tasted it, I wondered, where's the pumpkin? There's no pumpkin flavor to it aside from a soft after note. They describe it as "a masterful mix of pumpkin, spice, white chocolate, espresso and cream that's like pumpkin pie right out of the oven" but to me, it's more of a "high in fat & calories concoction that remotely tastes like pumpkin". Caribou's version, in their smallest serving (which is a medium, 16 oz.--they don't allow you to get a small, 12 oz., in their "fancy" drinks), has 600 calories and 23 grams of fat. Starbucks' Grande (16 oz.) version of their drink with whole milk STILL has less at 17! I got the bugger with nonfat milk, so that probably shaved off 20 or 30 calories and some grams of fat, but even then, the drink is simply NOT worth having! I can go to Starbucks and get the tastier version of their drink in a 16 oz. serving with skim milk and whip and it still only weighs in at 330 calories and 7 grams of fat. Even with whole milk, the same drink is 410 calories. More than I care for, but yet less than Caribou. So if it’s a pumpkin coffee you’re craving this fall, head for Starbucks. |
|||
