By Robyn Johnson

Last week, Call Me Thirsty, a drink enthusiast blog, released a nutritional chart of the 10 fattiest Starbucks drinks. For those who have plugged their fingers into their ears in response to the consistent media coverage over the years about the caloric excessiveness of the Starbucks menu, the numbers can be quite eye-popping. (Be aware, though, that the chart refers to the venti size and opts for whole milk when applicable—Frappucinos are typically made with reduced fat milk, but all that cloying syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate more than makes up for it.) As a former Starbucks employee, and as supported by the chart, I can tell you straight off to avoid any drink with white chocolate syrup and most Frappucinos outside of the plain version—yes, you can order them plain and also without whipped cream. And let’s be honest, without all the bells and whistles Frappucinos are about as thrilling as a glass of Quik.

I don’t want to proselytize here too much and I think it’s obvious that like other fast foods places, Starbucks sells processed drink items that have questionable nutritional value. But for you diehard fans of the monster chain, consider exploring the complexities of coffee at local indie cafes and microroasteries like Blue Bottle, Ritual Roasters, Four Barrel, Philz, etc. Just sayin.