After lunching at Panera today, my co-worker Aaron and I ducked into the new Starbucks nearby. This is the first "real" Starbucks for the Cedar Valley, so we thought we'd check it out. I saw they were advertising a drink called "Chantico" and since I don't like coffee, I opted to try it instead of the usual Vanilla Creme I get when I'm in a Starbucks. The barista told me that it was like hot chocolate, but "different", so I gave it a shot. A shot is about all I got, as the drink is only about 6 ounces, and I felt more than a little effeminate walking about with my dainty coffee cup among the talls, grandes and ventis around me. The drink tastes much like this USA Today article says, like a melted Hershey's bar in a glass. It's REALLY chocolatey, more so than you'd expect. The real shock came when I got back to work and read this article, and realized the nutritional value (or lack thereof) in the drink. Three Hundred and Ninety Calories?!? In 6 Ounces?!? 21 Grams of fat?!??!

If you're a chocolate lover, give it a try, but I think I'll stick to the Vanilla Cremes...