How many calories in a latte?

"How many calories in a latte?" you ask. Well, it depends ...

Despite coffee beans containing mono-unsaturated oils, the coffee drink is practically calorie-free with 8 oz coffee brewed from grounds having only 2 calories.

The calories in a latte are derived from what you add to it -- the milk, syrup and sugar which cover the bitter caffeine taste.

A 16 oz Starbucks grande latte comprises 3 oz espresso or 2 espresso shots as its base. Can you picture that at the very bottom of your mug? And the other 13 oz is made up of steamed milk.

Which kind of milk you choose makes a difference to the calorie count, for example, a cup (8 oz or 250 ml) of whole milk is 160 calories, low fat milk 120 and skim milk 80 calories.

Then consider the sugar with each serve being 15 calories. It doesn't sound much, but if you have one sugar in your coffee, and you have one a day, it totals 105 calories per week.

If you have 2 coffees a day, it adds up to 420 calories a week -- which is the same as what you burn when you run for 60 minutes.

Adding flavored syrup is worse, with one pump equalling 20 calories. You add 3 pumps to a 12 oz or 1.5 cups of coffee, 4 pumps to a 16 oz drink or 2 normal cups, and 5 pumps to a large 20 oz or 2.5 normal cups.

This means flavored syrup by itself adds a monstrous 100 calories when you go for a large.

Do you have cream with your latte? The whipped cream topping at Starbucks is approximately 130 calories. Expressed differently, for each 15 ml or tablespoon of cream, you need to add 52 calories and for each tablespoon of sugar, 48 calories.

Below see how the calories vary between straight coffee, latte and latte made with the various kinds of milk.

1 teaspoon (rounded) dry instant coffee - 4 calories
8 oz instant coffee - 4
8 oz brewed - 2
1 oz espresso - 1

The calories in a latte for 1 cup or 8 oz:

Fat free milk latte - 86 calories
Whole milk latte - 146

Dunkin Donuts 10 oz:

Mocha swirl latte - 230 calories
Latte - 120
Brewed coffee - 15

12 oz servings:

White chocolate mocha frappuccino from Starbucks - 370 calories
Whipped cream mocha - 310
Latte - 200
Cappuccino - 120
Regular coffee with both sugar and cream - 110
Black coffee without sugar - 10

Isn't it interesting how the simpler the beverage, the lower the calorie count?

14 oz coffee = 414 ml or 1.75 cups:

Skim milk latte - 110 calories
Low fat milk latte - 150
Whole milk latte - 180

McDonalds 16 oz:

Latte - 180 calories
Brewed coffee - 2

Starbucks 16 oz:

Cafe latte - 220
Brewed coffee - 5

How many calories in a latte from Starbucks?

Whole milk - 260 calories
Soy milk - 210
Nonfat milk - 160

And flavored lattes from Starbucks?

Whole milk vanilla latte - 240 calories (80 calories from fat)
16 oz Nonfat milk gingersnap latte - 220 calories
Venti skinny vanilla latte without whipped cream - 160 calories

Grande eggnog latte made from whipped cream and whole milk - 510 calories (29 fat grams).

With almost half the calories, a nonfat milk tall sans whipped cream has 270 calories (8 fat grams).

Contrast both of those with a tall 12 oz skinny caffe mocha or caffe late from Starbucks, made of nonfat milk, a touch of foam and sugar-free syrup, having only 90 calories.

Flavored lattes from Dunkin Donuts:

Medium pumpkin latte - 330 calories
Mocha almond iced latte - 290
Caramel creme iced latte - 260
Iced mocha swirl latte - 240
Iced caramel swirl latte - 240
Skim milk iced caramel swirl latte - 180
Skim milk iced mocha swirl latte - 180
Sugar with iced latte - 170
Iced latte - 120
Sugar and skim milk with your iced latte - 120
Iced latte lite - 80
Skim milk iced latte - 70

How many calories in a grand 16 oz Chai Tea Latte?

Whole milk - 320 calories
2% milk - 260

Nonfat milk - 210
2% milk from Starbucks - 120

There is nothing wrong with savoring your favorite milky concoction, but if you're watching your weight, bear in mind its calorie content is the equivalent of a small meal.

Should you be a coffee-lover but after finding out the number of calories in a latte, would like to cut back on the weight-gaining aspect, here are six ways to do so.

Downgrade in size from a large to a medium or from a medium to a small.

Baristas are notoriously generous with their sugar servings so add your own, order sugar-free syrup or cut out sugar altogether. If you think substituting with brown sugar will make a difference, don't; it's just as bad.

Instead of asking for whipped cream, ask for extra foam. It tastes just as good and saves you between 60 and 120 calories and 6 to 11 grams of saturated fat.

Choosing nonfat or skim milk will almost halve your calorie intake. Imagine how that accumulates over time.

Choose something 'light'. At Dunkin Donuts a medium 14 ounce Latte Lite contains 100 calories.

Or even better, become a java connoisseur by going for a short espresso shot or a long black coffee. That way you still get your caffeine infusion, but without the calories which add up to thousands a year.

By the way, have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a Breville BKC600XL Gourmet or a Senseo SL7832 Supreme Single Cup Coffee Maker?