We're guzzling coffee like never before - gourmet coffee that is. 54% of Americans drink coffee and those coffee drinkers average more than 3 cups a day. A robust brew is one of the few pleasures that remain calorie-free, that is as long as it's ordered black. You coffee junkies might be surprised (and dismayed) to learn there is more than a quick lift from caffeine in the gourmet fare.

 1. I thought coffee was a calorie-free drink. What happened?

Coffee is almost calorie-free and can seem like a great way to quench your thirst in the summertime and an alternative to desserts and snacks. But the whipped cream, whole milk, chocolate syrups, and other goodies added to gourmet coffees can chalk up more fat and calories than some desserts. For example, top any gourmet coffee drink with whipped cream and you've added 110 calories of fat. If consumed daily over and above your needed calories, that's just enough to produce a one-pound weight gain each month.

2. It's summertime, what about the icy, slushy coffee drinks?

These drinks are usually a combination of coffee, sweetened milk, ice, and syrups. They range in calories from 120 calories to 600+, depending on how much chocolate and flavored syrups, the type of milk, and how big they are. For example, an Iced Grande Mocha has 190 calories and 3 grams of fat if it's made with nonfat milk, but more than 260 calories if it's made with whole milk. Add another 110 calories if there is whipped cream on top. Even at 200 calories, that's the calorie equivalent of a fudge brownie, a piece of devil's food cake, or 4 oatmeal raisin cookies. Order a Starbucks venti White Chocolate Mocha made with whole milk and whipped cream, and you’ve taken on 630 calories, 29 grams of fat, 19 grams of bad fat, and 69 grams or more than 17 teaspoons of sugar. You’d get less calories and fat in a milkshake!

Many stores now stock a variety of bottled coffee beverages. But beware. Many of them list nutrition information for only half the bottle. You’ll need to double those numbers if you drink it all. Down an entire Starbucks Frappuccino and you’ll get up to 340 calories, more than double the calories in a 12-ounce cola.

3. What is the calorie cost of our favorite hot coffees?

Take that large cappuccino or latte made with a shot of espresso and 2% milk; they pack in 150 to 200 calories and one to two teaspoons of fat. If your gourmet coffee drink is made with whole milk, the calories can jump to 250, with up to three teaspoons of fat. Top your latte with whipped cream and grated milk chocolate and you're sipping more calories and fat than is in a 1/2 cup of Haagen-Dazs butter pecan ice cream (or about 350 calories and 20 grams of fat).

 4. Which coffee drinks are the worst offenders?

The worst offenders are the ones made with whole milk, chocolate, and whipped cream, such as the mocha drinks, which contain up to 11 ounces of whole milk in a large beverage and a hefty dose of chocolate syrup. For example, a Cafe Mocha made with whole milk contains up to 400 calories and almost 7 teaspoons of fat - that beats out chocolate fudge cake by 150 calories! Add a dollop of whipped cream and the calories jump to more than 500 and you've used up 60% of your daily allotment for fat, or more than 40 grams. But even lower-fat coffee drinks, such as lattes and cappuccinos, can pack in the calories if they are made with whole milk or topped with whipped cream.

Dunken Donuts’ Gingerbread Latte has 400 calories and 66 grams of 16.5 teaspoons of sugar! That is the calorie equivalent of an order of french fried onion rings and the sugar equivalent of a large candy bar.

 5. What about some of the other summer drinks, like smoothies. Are they a good alternative to coffee?

Unless you are making your smoothie at home, most store-bought smoothies can be a lot higher in calories than you would imagine. For example, Jamba Juice Orange Dream Machine (any Power-sized smoothie will be high-calorie..this one is 750 calories, 155 grams sugar) calorie equivalent of Taco Bell’s Nachos Bellgrande

Instead, order a 16-ounce, which will cut the calories in half. Even them, this is more of a meal, than a beverage.

 6. So, does this mean coffee is on the black list?

No, you can have your latte and drink it too, just make a few simple changes in the ingredients.

o Or, think of your coffee drink as your dessert for the day and have the whipped cream and chocolate shavings, then "just say no" to the ice cream that night.