Is the New Starbucks Coffee Drink Healthier Than a PSL?

Starbucks pretty much single-handedly made pumpkin a household-name flavor when it introduced the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, 18 years ago. Over time, the drink’s popularity encouraged plenty of imitators, a cold-brew version, and pumpkin spice flavors for just about every kind of food and beverage imaginable.

Since then, the coffee chain has been looking to repeat that success with other seasonal creations in its limited-time-only fall menu. This year’s drink focuses on another piece of iconic fall produce, the apple. But the Apple Crisp Macchiato, as delicious as it sounds, bears about as much resemblance to an apple nutritionally as the PSL does to pumpkin — which is to say, very little.

The ACM (even the abbreviation isn’t as catchy as PSL) is offered hot or iced, and its base is espresso and steamed whole milk, although it can be customized with low-fat, nonfat, or nondairy milk. It is flavored with Apple Brown Sugar syrup and topped with a Spiced Apple Drizzle.

While coffee or espresso on its own can be a healthy, antioxidant-rich choice, all the extras make this beverage more of a dessert. A 16-ounce (“Grande”) ACM made with whole milk, one shot of espresso, and two pumps of flavor contains:

• 300 calories
• 12 grams (g) of protein
• 7 g fat (4.5 g saturated)
• 47 g carbohydrates (45 g from sugar)
• 0 g fiber
• 150 milligrams (mg) of caffeine

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That’s not an ideal way to kick off your day. Syrups and other sweeteners — if you look at the list of ingredients for this drink, you’ll find five types of sugar — are one of the biggest problems. More than half the calories in this drink come from sugar. There are roughly 11 teaspoons (tsp) in an ACM, which is more than an entire day’s worth for men as recommended by the American Heart Association and almost double the limit for women.

And while you’re looking at that ingredients list, note the chemical stabilizers and thickeners, including “preservative potassium sorbate,” “sodium citrate,” and “xanthan gum.” Those are not exactly my idea of sweet fall flavors.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Apple Crisp Macchiato is slightly superior nutritionally to the PSL. The same size PSL made with whole milk, two pumps of flavor, and whipped cream racks up 90 more calories, 7 more grams of fat (plus 0.5 g trans fat — ew!), and 5 more grams of added sugar. So, if you’re going to treat yourself once in a great while and you’re choosing between the two, the Apple Crisp Macchiato is the (slightly) better choice. I still wouldn’t recommend drinking either of these beverages regularly, however.

If you’re making a daily coffee run, your best bet is to grab a brewed coffee either black or with a little bit of milk. A Grande dark roast, for example, will set you back a mere 5 calories! A cappuccino made with skim milk may be a good compromise; it can feel like a special treat while keeping calories, fat, and added sugars to a minimum. You’ll even get a little boost of protein from the milk.

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How to Make a Healthier Apple Crisp Macchiato at Home

If you simply can’t shake that Apple Crisp Macchiato craving, don’t worry. You can make yourself a “fake-iato” at home and enjoy the flavors of a warm apple pie in a mug without all the extra junk.