Going out for a coffee has become something that people do for a lift during the work day, for a catch-up with an old friend and for a date with a new love interest.
In fact a study by the Irish Food Board last year found out that more Irish women drink coffee than Irish men.
But did you know that some coffee drinks actually have quite high calorie counts. In fact some coffees are the equivalent of a chocolate bar.
According to a recent report by Safefood, depending on what drink you order in a café you could be consuming more calories than you might think.
The report looked at the calorie counts of certain hot beverages served in chains including Starbucks, Insomnia, McDonalds and Costa.
It was discovered that an Americano is the healthiest hot drink and for the most part a cappuccino has less calories than a latte.
Syrups, including caramel and vanilla, can add up to 50 calories to your drink and as one would expect fresh cream will add more calories to your beverage.
The difference between coffees made with full fat milk, semi-skimmed and skimmed milk is considerable, depending on the size of the drink.
Iced coffees in general fare better on the calorie front. In one chain an iced latte is 60 calories less than a hot latte.
While the study certainly won’t stop us from popping out for a coffee at lunch time it might just make us think twice about what exactly we order.
Besides if we go for an Americano we might also be able to have the chocolate bar without feeling too guilty.
