Utahโ€™s notorious sweet tooth has saturated every part of our culture. From specialty soda shops to front-door cookie delivery, Utahns have devised dozens of ways to satisfy their sugar cravings. Try to find a salad without candied nuts or fruit added. The bitter bean is often softened with a splash of cream or a bit of sugar, but our need for sweet has outweighed the beverageโ€™s natural flavor. As a former barista for several years, I encountered my fair share of cringe-inducing coffee creations. Here are just a few to get your sweet tooth tingling (or crumbling).

Get your real caffeine fix

In case youโ€™re interested in drinking coffee rather than sugar, there are some great local coffee shops in SLC ready to make you an artful cup โ€˜o joe without the sugar coma.

Publik Coffee Roastersโ€” 975 S. West Temple, SLC

Alchemy Coffeeโ€”271 N. Center Street, SLC

Blue Copper Coffee Roomโ€”179 W. 900 South, SLC

Sugar House Coffeeโ€”2011 S. 1100 E, SLC

Just in case you didnโ€™t really get the idea yet, keep in mind that syrup comes in at 20 calories per pump with the richer white mocha syrup hitting even higher at a whopping 60 calories per pump. For a little more math, the third drink on this list spent 720 calories on syrup alone. Holy sugar rush, Batman.

  • Trenta iced coffee with 13 pumps of classic syrup, extra cream and โ€œextra extra extraโ€ caramel drizzle. After handing the lady her almost white iced coffee, she asked for an extra cup of cream.
  • Grande hot latte with caramel drizzle, nonfat milk and only one espresso shot…with 16 pumps of vanilla syrup.
  • Grande hot white mocha, 1 shot of espresso, 12 pumps white mocha syrup with equal amounts of caramel sauce and extra whipped cream. Oh, and caramel sauce on top.
  • Hot breve (Half-and-half instead of milk) latte with heavy whipping cream rather than the half-and-half.