Your friendly neighborhood barista, coffee suggestions
ashesfromfire
Posts: 867 Member
Hello MFP world! You know what the internet is good for? Shouting unsolicited advice into the void! So here I am, your friendly, neighborhood spiderman barista, with a complied list of lower kcal alternatives you can order next time you're craving caffeine!
Drinking too many calories has also been a struggle for me, and as someone who loves sweets AND coffee, I can far too easily end up ingesting an entire meals worth of kcals into one frothy, delicious, decadent, cup of amazingness that I will regret far longer than I enjoyed it.
The shortest and easiest answer would of course be - drink black coffee. It has little to no calories and you're all set. But I think that when talking to a breve white mocha drinker, that advice is more or less useless, because it's such a far cry from what they enjoy. I'm here to advocate middle ground!
(For consistency sake I'm going to base kcals off of a grande, Starbucks drinks as they are fairly universally accessible and common, local shops, like where I work, will have slight variations, different sizes, ect. but this will hopefully give you some rough ideas. Also, these will be based of WHOLE MILK use, unless otherwise specified)
If you like to drink: Mochas! (330 kcal)
Consider Instead:
1) Ask your barista what flavor syrups they have at the bar, it's not uncommon for places to carry chocolate flavored syrup. If they do, order a chocolate latte, it should ring in around 250 kcal! If you order it with skim milk, BAM!, you're hovering right around the 200 kcal mark!
2) If an iced mocha is your style, opt for iced coffee with a pump (or two) of Chocolate or Mocha sauce. At 25 kcal a pump this is a great alternative! add a small splash of cream and an iced coffee w/ two pumps of chocolate and two tablespoons of half & half will land you around 95 kcal!
If you like to drink: Lattes! (190 kcal)
Consider instead:
1) I'm a big fan of Americanos! Never had one? Try it! Where a latte is espresso mixed with steamed milk, an americano replaces the milk with hot water. Which may sound lame or gross, but if the cafe you're at has good espresso, this drink is bomb! Replace you're entire cup of milk with a tablespoon or two of half & half and you're sitting at 55 kcal! It will be creamy and rich and taste soooo good.
2) The Cafe Au Lait! A drink that is half coffee, half steam milk, all delicious. 130 kcal when made with whole milk.
3) Iced latte fan? Neato! An americano works just as well iced!
4) The cop out option is iced coffee. But this is a great option of you're a fan of flavored lattes. A pump or two of vanilla in iced coffee goes a long way and a small splash of cream or milk smooth out the whole thing. Unsweetened iced coffee is a whopping 5 kcal, flavored syrup will cost you 15 kcal a pump, half & half 40 kcal for 2 table spoons, you've got a delicious drink for 60 calories!
If you like to drink: Chai Lattes! (240 kcal)
Consider Instead:
1) Ask your barista if they have a loose leaf or a tea bag chai, many places do! Then ask for that, topped with steamed milk. This will run you about 150 kcal if they make it half steeped tea, half steamed milk + 15 kcal for ever sugar packet you add.
2) Ever had a London Fog? Similar to the suggestion above, but made with Earl Gray tea and vanilla, absolutely to die for and my personal favorite rainy day drink! At 180 kcal (2% milk) it's worth a try!
3) Order a latte with cinnamon steamed into the milk, delicious! 190 kcal!
Alrighty! That's what I've got for all you wonderful people! Let me know if I missed your favorite drinks!
Drinking too many calories has also been a struggle for me, and as someone who loves sweets AND coffee, I can far too easily end up ingesting an entire meals worth of kcals into one frothy, delicious, decadent, cup of amazingness that I will regret far longer than I enjoyed it.
The shortest and easiest answer would of course be - drink black coffee. It has little to no calories and you're all set. But I think that when talking to a breve white mocha drinker, that advice is more or less useless, because it's such a far cry from what they enjoy. I'm here to advocate middle ground!
(For consistency sake I'm going to base kcals off of a grande, Starbucks drinks as they are fairly universally accessible and common, local shops, like where I work, will have slight variations, different sizes, ect. but this will hopefully give you some rough ideas. Also, these will be based of WHOLE MILK use, unless otherwise specified)
If you like to drink: Mochas! (330 kcal)
Consider Instead:
1) Ask your barista what flavor syrups they have at the bar, it's not uncommon for places to carry chocolate flavored syrup. If they do, order a chocolate latte, it should ring in around 250 kcal! If you order it with skim milk, BAM!, you're hovering right around the 200 kcal mark!
2) If an iced mocha is your style, opt for iced coffee with a pump (or two) of Chocolate or Mocha sauce. At 25 kcal a pump this is a great alternative! add a small splash of cream and an iced coffee w/ two pumps of chocolate and two tablespoons of half & half will land you around 95 kcal!
If you like to drink: Lattes! (190 kcal)
Consider instead:
1) I'm a big fan of Americanos! Never had one? Try it! Where a latte is espresso mixed with steamed milk, an americano replaces the milk with hot water. Which may sound lame or gross, but if the cafe you're at has good espresso, this drink is bomb! Replace you're entire cup of milk with a tablespoon or two of half & half and you're sitting at 55 kcal! It will be creamy and rich and taste soooo good.
2) The Cafe Au Lait! A drink that is half coffee, half steam milk, all delicious. 130 kcal when made with whole milk.
3) Iced latte fan? Neato! An americano works just as well iced!
4) The cop out option is iced coffee. But this is a great option of you're a fan of flavored lattes. A pump or two of vanilla in iced coffee goes a long way and a small splash of cream or milk smooth out the whole thing. Unsweetened iced coffee is a whopping 5 kcal, flavored syrup will cost you 15 kcal a pump, half & half 40 kcal for 2 table spoons, you've got a delicious drink for 60 calories!
If you like to drink: Chai Lattes! (240 kcal)
Consider Instead:
1) Ask your barista if they have a loose leaf or a tea bag chai, many places do! Then ask for that, topped with steamed milk. This will run you about 150 kcal if they make it half steeped tea, half steamed milk + 15 kcal for ever sugar packet you add.
2) Ever had a London Fog? Similar to the suggestion above, but made with Earl Gray tea and vanilla, absolutely to die for and my personal favorite rainy day drink! At 180 kcal (2% milk) it's worth a try!
3) Order a latte with cinnamon steamed into the milk, delicious! 190 kcal!
Alrighty! That's what I've got for all you wonderful people! Let me know if I missed your favorite drinks!
31
Replies
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I order my coffee in 2 ways:
Either,
Long black with skim milk froth and chocolate sprinkles
Or
Skinny cappuccino made with 3/4 hot water.
Some people get it, others don't - a few are nice enough to ask when they're making it!0 -
What yummy suggestions!!!
I've found that getting skim/nonfat milk and skipping the whipped cream and other toppings (sprinkles, syrup drizzle, etc) has virtually no affect on the taste of the drink while knocking off a good 100+ calories. I generally make coffee at home and just add a bit of creamer, but I do enjoy a mocha or a latte sometimes.
~Lyssa0 -
macgurlnet wrote: »What yummy suggestions!!!
I've found that getting skim/nonfat milk and skipping the whipped cream and other toppings (sprinkles, syrup drizzle, etc) has virtually no affect on the taste of the drink while knocking off a good 100+ calories. I generally make coffee at home and just add a bit of creamer, but I do enjoy a mocha or a latte sometimes.
~Lyssa
You're totally right! I based these off whole milk because it's the standard in many cafes, but subbing for nonfate milk with bring these estimates even lower
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As a coffee addict these suggestions are perfect! I usually try to plan my coffee goodness into my day but it always leaves that void and hunger 30 minutes after you finish because there's no real nutrition being taken in. A 100 cal alternative would be light enough to pair with some food
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Great post, OP. I didn't know about the chocolate latte.0
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I'm not sure how you make mochas at your shop, but in the shops I've worked at a mocha IS a chocolate latte. The standard recipe is a couple pumps of chocolate syrup, then espresso, then steamed milk stirred in, and optional whip on top. Most baristas are gonna be super confused if you go around ordering a chocolate latte. Just order a mocha with skim milk/no whip and save them the confusion!3
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I'd also recommend cold brew to anyone that likes iced drinks, it tastes a lot better black or with lighter milk alternatives like almond or soy than hot brewed coffees, iced or otherwise!5
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Black coffee for me, but if I do indulge in a fu-fu coffee drink, it will always be a Starbuck's Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte. Mmmmm
But I enjoyed your post and will consider some alternatives in the future. 0 -
This was an EXCELLENT post!0
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Glad you commented on the tea lattes and not just coffee!
So, I always get a tea latte made with English Breakfast, non-fat milk, and sweetener. I'm not interested in changing out the sweetener but want to get the calories down. For instance, the tea I make at home (sweetened) comes in at about 47 calories with 1% milk. At Starbucks, I'm hitting 130 calories and I think that it's because it's half milk.
Is there any way to get the "latte" with less milk and still be pretty good?2 -
Americano is my go to option, with no milk!!!1
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It's all about the sugar free syrups for me. Not so many flavours, but they keep it light and sweet.
Starbucks normally have caramel and vanilla, Costa (UK) have caramel and gingerbread.
Or I get my barista to dump a shot of espresso into my morning breakfast smoothie (chocolate protein, almond milk, banana, peanut butter) to mocha it up with no added calories.
I like caffeine, but I haven't learnt to drink my coffee straight yet...!
Grande skinny iced caramel latte for me in general please. Non-fat milk, sugar free syrup.0 -
I'm an iced sugar-free-vanilla soy latte girl myself. Add a couple splenda and it's all good. 0
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BEST THREAD EVER!0
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If I'm going for Starbucks, a mocha light frapp with coconut milk is my poison of choice.
I think next time I go, I'll try the iced latte with chocolate, though. Thanks for the tips!0 -
Glad you commented on the tea lattes and not just coffee!
So, I always get a tea latte made with English Breakfast, non-fat milk, and sweetener. I'm not interested in changing out the sweetener but want to get the calories down. For instance, the tea I make at home (sweetened) comes in at about 47 calories with 1% milk. At Starbucks, I'm hitting 130 calories and I think that it's because it's half milk.
Is there any way to get the "latte" with less milk and still be pretty good?
Almond milk has been my saviour with lattes. I just don't like black coffee, and an Americano with almond milk is still pretty watery. But I can have a full on latte with a whole cup of almond milk for 29 calories, so why skimp?0 -
Great ideas! I'm such a fan of the Iced Americano with a splash of 1/2 and 1/2. My favorite! Just a heads up that the Starbuck's barista told me the iced coffee is already sweetened, so I make sure to ask. The espresso is not. I'm assuming it's not a huge calorie count, but just mention it to be aware.0
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I'm not sure how you make mochas at your shop, but in the shops I've worked at a mocha IS a chocolate latte. The standard recipe is a couple pumps of chocolate syrup, then espresso, then steamed milk stirred in, and optional whip on top. Most baristas are gonna be super confused if you go around ordering a chocolate latte. Just order a mocha with skim milk/no whip and save them the confusion!
I was told the difference in a mocha and a chocolate latte is amount of milk. A mocha has more milk than a latte, but same ingredients?0 -
My favorite Starbucks (or other coffee house drink!) is a short breve latte. I chose to go down in size rather than sacrifice my creamy indulgence. I order an 8 oz. doppio espresso and often ask for 3 shots. If my cup is filled to the rim with cream, it becomes a breve latte, if I ask for 3/4's full, it's a doppio espresso with steamed cream. Half a cup of cream has 157 calories. When at home, I use Trader Joes Light Coconut milk (from a can) which is 70 calories in 1/4 cup. It actually comes off very creamy and I can measure less than 1/4 cup if saving calories. At home, I just use a favorite French Roast.
0 -
Glad you commented on the tea lattes and not just coffee!
So, I always get a tea latte made with English Breakfast, non-fat milk, and sweetener. I'm not interested in changing out the sweetener but want to get the calories down. For instance, the tea I make at home (sweetened) comes in at about 47 calories with 1% milk. At Starbucks, I'm hitting 130 calories and I think that it's because it's half milk.
Is there any way to get the "latte" with less milk and still be pretty good?
Almond milk has been my saviour with lattes. I just don't like black coffee, and an Americano with almond milk is still pretty watery. But I can have a full on latte with a whole cup of almond milk for 29 calories, so why skimp?
I have found that I don't enjoy almond milk in tea.
0 -
Glad you commented on the tea lattes and not just coffee!
So, I always get a tea latte made with English Breakfast, non-fat milk, and sweetener. I'm not interested in changing out the sweetener but want to get the calories down. For instance, the tea I make at home (sweetened) comes in at about 47 calories with 1% milk. At Starbucks, I'm hitting 130 calories and I think that it's because it's half milk.
Is there any way to get the "latte" with less milk and still be pretty good?
Just ask for less milk and more water -- maybe specify half as much milk as they would normally use. I've never had Starbucks refuse to do something that was possible (obviously, if something is premixed, like the frappucino bases, they can't take something out of it). But nonfat milk is a good source of protein. You're actually making it a less macro-friendly drink if you decrease milk while leaving the sweetener.0 -
leesakline wrote: »I'm not sure how you make mochas at your shop, but in the shops I've worked at a mocha IS a chocolate latte. The standard recipe is a couple pumps of chocolate syrup, then espresso, then steamed milk stirred in, and optional whip on top. Most baristas are gonna be super confused if you go around ordering a chocolate latte. Just order a mocha with skim milk/no whip and save them the confusion!
I was told the difference in a mocha and a chocolate latte is amount of milk. A mocha has more milk than a latte, but same ingredients?
I wonder if that's a Starbucks thing? I've never heard of this before and I was a barista at three different coffee shops, including a trad Italian place, a major local place reputed for intensive training and high standards of technique and quality, and a third neighbourhood place where I brought the experience from the previous two to update and improve their menu. Most North American shops serve "mocha lattes" even if the name has been colloquially shortened to plain "mocha." I guess you could technically ask for a mocha cappuccino too, if you preferred a higher foam to milk ratio...1 -
Glad you commented on the tea lattes and not just coffee!
So, I always get a tea latte made with English Breakfast, non-fat milk, and sweetener. I'm not interested in changing out the sweetener but want to get the calories down. For instance, the tea I make at home (sweetened) comes in at about 47 calories with 1% milk. At Starbucks, I'm hitting 130 calories and I think that it's because it's half milk.
Is there any way to get the "latte" with less milk and still be pretty good?
Almond milk has been my saviour with lattes. I just don't like black coffee, and an Americano with almond milk is still pretty watery. But I can have a full on latte with a whole cup of almond milk for 29 calories, so why skimp?
I have found that I don't enjoy almond milk in tea.
I've found I don't like almond milk in anything.0 -
I'm not sure how you make mochas at your shop, but in the shops I've worked at a mocha IS a chocolate latte. The standard recipe is a couple pumps of chocolate syrup, then espresso, then steamed milk stirred in, and optional whip on top. Most baristas are gonna be super confused if you go around ordering a chocolate latte. Just order a mocha with skim milk/no whip and save them the confusion!
Great question, I should have clarified! By syrup I meant that same kind of flavor syrups one would use in a latte (like vanilla or hazelnut) more or less a flavored simple syrup, as opposed to a chocolate sause, or other form or melted chocolate you'd typically make a mocha with. 0 -
Glad you commented on the tea lattes and not just coffee!
So, I always get a tea latte made with English Breakfast, non-fat milk, and sweetener. I'm not interested in changing out the sweetener but want to get the calories down. For instance, the tea I make at home (sweetened) comes in at about 47 calories with 1% milk. At Starbucks, I'm hitting 130 calories and I think that it's because it's half milk.
Is there any way to get the "latte" with less milk and still be pretty good?
You can always ask for less milk, it's a totally reasonable request to ask for 3/4 water, 1/4 steamed milk. I'm with you about not liking almond milk in my coffee and tea drinks. I do however like soy and coconut, these can be lower calorie options, ask your local barista what they stock in their shop 0 -
Great post0
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Glad you commented on the tea lattes and not just coffee!
So, I always get a tea latte made with English Breakfast, non-fat milk, and sweetener. I'm not interested in changing out the sweetener but want to get the calories down. For instance, the tea I make at home (sweetened) comes in at about 47 calories with 1% milk. At Starbucks, I'm hitting 130 calories and I think that it's because it's half milk.
Is there any way to get the "latte" with less milk and still be pretty good?
Almond milk has been my saviour with lattes. I just don't like black coffee, and an Americano with almond milk is still pretty watery. But I can have a full on latte with a whole cup of almond milk for 29 calories, so why skimp?
I have found that I don't enjoy almond milk in tea.
I don't enjoy almond milk in tea either. But since I only need 1/4 teaspoon of half & half in tea, and that is less than 2 calories, that's what I use.0
This discussion has been closed.
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