Tortured Desire: Chantico

I had the most delicious drink in the world today: Chantico. For the uninitiated, this is Starbuck's latest beverage, a "drinkable dessert with an intense, full-bodied chocolate flavor and silky, rich texture." I happily affirm that its marketing lingo is correct. Seriously. No false advertising there.

The 6 oz. cup -- the only size it's sold in -- packs a punch, though. 390 calories in that itty bitty cup. Remarkable. But it's chockful of other stuff that's good for you, too -- 6g of fiber, and 11g of protein, according to the nutritional info listed here. That can't possible be right, can it? (Though the 40g of sugar and 51g of carbs sound accurate...)

Anyway, the reason for my tortured desire is that I typically try and stay away from Starbucks. I hate them. Their coffee's too bitter and I'm tired of seeing the logo on every street corner. I'd much rather support my local coffeehouses -- you know, the ones that put most of their money back into our local community, like Infusion or Coffee Junction (you have to scroll down a bit in the link to find their listing).

But with Chantico, well, I might have to visit a little more often.... For now, I'll take some solace in the fact that at least they provide living wages and decent benes to their employees.