The Starbucks Caramel Macchiato tastes so good. I think I’m addicted to them. I almost have one of these Venti Caramel Macchiatos every day. They don’t even need to be made right for them to taste yummy. I think the way the vanilla syrup and the caramel sauce mixes with the espresso shots and milk makes a delicious drink. It’s a comfort beverage for sure. When the Caramel Macchiato is made right by a good barista the foam has semi-thickness to it. Starbucks’ official website says the drink is supposed to have, “velvety foam and our proprietary buttery caramel sauce.” This velvetiness is rad. I love it. I’m drinking a Caramel Macchiato right now and the Barista made it right. The foam was soft and the caramel rested on top of the foam and made it nice and sweet. This made a bed for the espresso shots to rest on. But the drink is good even after you eat the foam and caramel. The milk mixes with the espresso and since they don’t overpower the drink with too much vanilla syrup the drink has a nice equilibrium of sweetness and bitterness. The bitterness comes from the espresso aftertaste. It leaves a sticky flavor on your tongue so I often want to brush my teeth after I drink a Venti Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. The espresso before-taste is slightly nutty but it really depends on how the shots were pulled and if the machine is tuned properly.
But will the Venti Starbucks Caramel Macchiato make me fat? They have about 300 calories for a Venti (20 oz.) drink. That’s the 2% milk version. Is an extra 300 calories a lot per day? Well, I burn about 300 or so calories when I do the elliptical exercise machine for 30 minutes or so at the gym. This means I have to exercise for 30 minutes to burn off one drink. Why? I think it’s because of all the milk. Milk is pretty dense stuff. It is made by cows to be a meal in liquid form so it makes sense that there is a great deal of calories in a huge paper cup full of the stuff. Let’s take a look at the other nutritional facts for the Venti Starbucks Caramel Macchiato. There’s 8 grams of fat and 5 of those grams are saturated fat. Is that too much fat? It doesn’t sound that bad. This cool website gives daily intake values. It says the total saturated fat you should have in your daily diet is 20 grams. So this drink is one fourth of your total saturated fat. That isn’t terrible. But that kind of fat can add up easily if you have multiple drinks per day. There’s 13 grams of protein in this Venti beverage which is a little more than a fourth of your daily protein intake. (This is based on a 2000 calorie diet for adults.) This drink is pretty tame in terms of calories when compared to the Large Mocha from Peet’s Coffee and Tea. If you check out my article on the Large Mocha from Peet’s you’ll find out that it has over 500 calories. I think it’s a lot more calories because whipped cream is calorie dense. Also the chocolate in the mocha has got to make it more of a substantial drink. If I had to choose which drink I like more, I’d go with the Starbuck’s Venti Caramel Macchiato. The reason why is because it’s sweet but not overpoweringly sweet like the mocha. And it has layers without needing whipped cream.
So I’ve been drinking almost 1 of these Venti Starbucks Caramel Macchiatos for the past 2 months and I exercise very little. I don’t think they make me fat. I think they are filling but they lacks the calories to cause someone to get really fat. I do think the drinks can make me a bit pudgy tho. I’ve noticed that I fit more comfortably into size 36 shorts/pants now instead of 34 so I think beverages like these do make a difference. But I think drinks like the Mocha have more of a fattening punch to them. Remember, the Caramel Macchiato is mostly just a tall glass of milk. But this version that I drink is 2% and I don’t ask for extra caramel sauce. That’s a factor. If you add whole milk or half and half to your drink and/or get caramel sauce then you might get a more fattening drink.
While you drink your Caramel Macchiato why don’t you read our article on the Starbucks Very Berry Coffee Cake and decide if you want to have some cake with your coffee.
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