Life

The Anatomy of Your Favorite Starbucks Drink

Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Let’s face it: Very few people go to Starbucks and just order a plain ol’ coffee. The ‘bucks is a magical land full of whipped cream, flavored syrups, and over-priced, stupidly caloric dessert drinks we justify consuming at 9 a.m. because “it’s coffee.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s just the truth. But hey, if you’ve ever wondered what's in a latte, or whatever your favorite Starbucks drink may be, now we know, thanks to this handy infographic. Ladies and gentlemen, now presenting the anatomy of a Starbucks beverage!

The infographic breaks down nine of the coffee chain’s most popular drinks, showing you not only what each java creation contains, but also the ratio of ingredients involved. Impressively, there are actually a few surprises: For example, I had no idea that a huge dollop of vanilla syrup sat on the bottom of each Caramel Macchiato — or that the order in which the ingredients make it into the cup actually matters quite a bit. In addition to Starbucks’ standard espresso cocktails, the infographic also has some data on Chai Lattes and the almighty Pumpkin Spice Latte; and lastly, you can learn aaaaaaaaaaall about the different layers that make up a simple shot of espresso.

Here, check out the whole thing:

And just in case you were curious, not all coffee is created equal: According to this little chart, Starbucks coffee contains over twice the amount of caffeine McDonald’s coffee does, although not as much as Deathwish coffee. That’s probably a good thing; something tells me that the 54.2 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce of Deathwish is probably… well, a death wish. Starbucks, by comparison, has 20.6 mg, while McD’s has 9.1 mg. But hey, at least according to coffee expert Wes Johansen, anything’s better than the stuff you get at Denny's right?