Caribou Coffee's Northern Lite Lattes: A 7-Flavor Review

Caribou Coffee's Northern Lite Lattes are a low-calorie, hot espresso beverage made with skim milk and a sugar-free flavor shot. As a frequent (read: daily) customer of Caribou Coffee, I've tried all of their Northern Lite Latte beverages. Here's a review of each of the seven Northern Lite latte flavors available.

Vanilla:

According to the barista working at my local Caribou Coffee, the Northern Lite Vanilla latte is the most popular flavor choice. However, the sugar-free vanilla flavor doesn't hold a candle to the regular vanilla flavor. The aftertaste stays with you long after your beverage is gone. Those used to the full calorie vanilla latte will definitely notice a taste difference with the sugar-free syrup.

Caramel:

I found the sugar-free caramel flavor to be bland, almost like my latte didn't even have a flavor shot. I couldn't taste much and was disappointed. I could've just ordered a latte with no flavor shot and saved myself a few pennies.

Turtle:

The sugar-free turtle syrup is supposed to taste like those chocolate and caramel boxed turtle candies. However, there is nothing really chocolate-y about this syrup. I can detect a mild caramel flavor but absolutely no chocolate taste comes through. I couldn't distinguish the turtle flavor shot from the caramel flavor shot.

Raspberry:

My personal favorite! Despite the flavor shot being sugar-free, the raspberry flavor shot packs a punch. It's sweet, it's fruity and it's tasty. Plus, when you remove the cap to add in a little Splenda, the syrup's pretty pink color looks so pretty when mixed with the white foam on top.

Hazelnut:

My second favorite flavor option for Northern Lite lattes. The syrup adds a nutty spin to your drink without a nasty aftertaste.

Dolce de Leche:

Described as a mix of sweet milk and caramel, this Northern Lite latte option packs a strong flavor, but I wouldn't describe it as milk or caramel. To be blunt, it tasted like bad alcohol and burned my throat. I won't order it again. Besides, I don't even know how to say the flavor name.

Cinnamon French Vanilla:

Those looking for a very flavorful shot will love the Cinnamon Vanilla Northern Lite Latte. Beware: the cinnamon flavor is strong-if you're on the fence about cinnamon, you might not like this latte.

Sizes:

Northern Lite Lattes are available in small, medium and large. The large contains three shots of espresso. All flavors are available in decaf.

Nutrition:

As someone who is constantly watching what she eats, I never feel guilty about ordering a Northern Lite latte. They offer great taste without the all the calories and fat of their other fancy beverages. For each flavor, a small has only 90 calories with .5 grams of fat. The large has 160 calories with 1 gram of fat.

Basically, a Northern Lite Lattes amounts to drinking a glass of milk with coffee. Personally, I look at it as a way to get my calcium, since I'm not a big milk drinker. Then again, it's probably another excuse to go to Caribou in the morning.