For now I think Starbucks et al are benefiting from being culturally identified as more upper/middle-class. Obesity stereotypes seem to have fixated mostly on a "people of Walmart" type image of the fat, slobbish lower classes. So even though a 12-oz Starbucks caramel latte is far worse than a 12-oz Coke, it gets a pass.
Good point, the source of calories isn't the same mix, even though the latte has more total calories (200 calories/12oz, vs. 140). Though I was thinking of the caramel latte rather than macchiato, which is a bit closer, at 27g of sugar: http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/flavored-latte....
And since it's autumn, it's now time for their signature seasonal drink, the pumpkin spice latte, 300 calories and 39g of sugar per 12oz: http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/pumpkin-spice-.... You can bring that down to 240 calories and a mere 37g of sugar if you ask for no whipped cream.
I suspect these are actually healthier because of the additional calories - which come in the form of fat and protein, dulling the impact of the sugar spike from a soda.
Even if you're overweight, a latte is more nutritious and likely to make you feel full than a soda.
This suggests a strategy for improving the healthiness of soda: the government should work to make the ice-cream float come back into fashion. "Don't drink your soda plain: add a scoop for your health!"
Saturated fats make carbs digest more quickly. For example, if I have oatmeal I can go to bed immediately because it's low GI. But if I add a spoon of peanut butter then my heart will get a little bit contentuous and keep me awake.
As well, adding a new substance introduces the potential of allergens. I have a dairy sensitivity. If I have a grande latte from Starbucks I'll spend the next hour in a haze. I can have it, but it's worse than just sugar in many respects. But the equivalent soy latte leaves me refreshed. For some people the opposite might be true.
Another issue is size. In Europe or at least at many of the places I've been lately the sizes they have at Starbucks USA do not exist.
A latte for example in Paris or Barcelona is no more than ~6oz or so, maybe less whereas Starbucks USA they start at 8oz and go up to 24oz. I have not visited a Starbucks here to see the sizes. Every coke I've ordered has come in a 8oz bottle as well unlike the unlimited refills and or big-gulp sizes seen in the USA.
Ugh, as an americano drinker I'd be annoyed as hell by this. I have a 52oz water cup at my desk, for me much of things is about the quantity of liquid so I dilute everything. I get my alcohol drinks heavily cut with mixers so they last longer. If drinks are small I finish them way too fast. So a tumbler of a mixed drink lasts me 8 minutes but the same drink in a pint with little ice and more mixer is more like 40 minutes. One leads to shitfaced quick and is a nice buzz. Same for coffee. Sitting at my desk with a small drink I'll finish it without noticing I'm drinking it. 20 oz coffee with the same # of shots and It'll take 30 minutes to finish and I'll actually notice and enjoy it.
I'm an adult, I can pay attention to what I order, and I'm not embarrassed to order things that are not directly on the menu. I'm tipping the bartender and the barrista so they make it the way I want it anyway.
Coffee in Italy, France and other places in Europe is meant to be drink in small cups. Like a shot. I've asked for Americano in France and people are always making fun of me. But I will never understand why you would drink a shot for pleasure when a drink can last way longer. So yeah totally agree with you.
This varies a lot within Europe. In the Nordic countries, the norm is to drink larger cups of coffee, traditionally brewed filter coffee, but lately also various latte/etc. type drinks (overall, similar to what Americans drink), slowly over a longish period of time. That's embedded in cultural expectations as well: going out "for a coffee" is a popular type of casual socializing, and means sitting at a table and chatting for maybe an hour or so while you sip a coffee. Not the Italian-style 30-second outing, where you drink a shot of espresso at a bar standing up.
There is an Internet meme going around that purports to show a German serving size one step larger than extra-lage, called "American." I have no idea if this is real or not. Can any German/European HNers confirm or deny?
Even so, all of these have at least an egg's worth of protein and a little bit of fat, pushing them even higher in the nutrition department. Which is nice.
Tasting sugar is temperature-dependent. Generally, a given amount of sugar makes hot stuff taste sweeter than cold stuff. That's why warm soda tastes too sweet, and cold coffee tastes too bitter.
I doubt many people drink something from Starbucks with or after every meal though. Also way more expensive to do so with Starbucks. 12 pack of name brand soda where I am sells for $3.00 during a typical sale.
