I’ve got to be careful with cinnamon buns. Let me eat one and I may go on a depraved cinna-binge, fall into a cinna-hole and start haunting airport Cinnabons at closing time. That’s why I generally avoid them.

So why, you may ask, have I chosen to feature (and rank) six — 6 — cinnamon buns in one FFF? Good question. Part of it was due to circumstances beyond my control. A cinnamon bun spiral, if you will. Read on and all will be revealed.

We lit out on a late Saturday morning and stopped at three places in St. Pete, picked up the goodies, brought them back to the FFF Lab + Photo Studio™, and sampled all six in one sitting. As much as I love cinnamon buns, I don’t recommend it.

First, a few words about our contestants

• Crispy Avenue Caffe, which opened in St. Pete’s Grand Central District in February, is owned and run by a gregarious, 6-foot-6 Serbian named Dragan. He’s the main culprit in this cinnamon bun frenzy. That’s because he makes them fancy-style and he loaded me up with three different versions before I could order. I walked away with a Toasted Pecan Caramel, a Pistachio Dark Chocolate, and a Raspberry Cheesecake ($8 each).

• At just before noon on a scorcher of a day, The Sourdough Co. in St. Pete’s Edge District was way busier than seemed possible, with customers — many of them young and beautiful — inside and on the sidewalk. Our counter guy reminded me of a young Crispin Glover, but sane, and nice. I got a basic Cinnamon Roll with cream cheese on top ($6).

• Cinnaholic, situated in a shopping center on 4th Street in St. Pete (there’s also one in Tampa), was the most curious one of the three. It serves more than 20 varieties — all of them vegan. However, we could find no evidence of that rather pertinent bit of info inside the store, in the pamphlet, or on the signage outside*. One window actually announced Biscuits & Sausage Gravy and another a Meatloaf Plate. My best guess is that the inscriptions were left over from a previous occupant, and my best suggestion is to scrape them off.

We ordered a Strawberries and Cream Roll ($8) and a Cinnamon Toasty Crunch Roll ($7.50)

The Buns — aka Rolls

We microwaved each for about 20 seconds. I ate them with a knife and fork, and chased them with skim milk. Just so you don’t think I descended into full-tilt cinnamon-bun madness, I took only a couple bites of each … okay, maybe three.

Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese (The Sourdough Co.)

A good way to start — with the basics. The bun had a solid cinna-quotient, excellent frosting (melted). The doughy part could’ve been more moist. (Pictured back row/left in the lead photo.)

Raspberry Cheesecake (Crispy Avenue)

Sublimely fluffy. The luscious raspberry jam elbowed its way to the front, overshadowing the cinnamon. The cheesecake frosting staked out the middle of the flavor profile.

Strawberries and Cream Roll (Cinnaholic)

A nicely chewy cake, lovely cream, strawberries ripened just right, with a bonus: the crunch and earthy flavor of walnuts. And in the center, a mother lode of decadent cinnamon.

Pistachio Dark Chocolate (Crispy Avenue)

Like the raspberry cheesecake, this one featured a seductively soft cake. The dark chocolate (chips and drizzle) overpowered the cinnamon and pistachio (the dusting of which was barely detectable).

Cinnamon Toasty Crunch Roll (Cinnaholic)

The crumbles on top combined with the veins of cinnamon and the icing to make a cinnamon bun that was straight-up sugarbomb sweet. (Pictured back row/middle in the lead photo.)

Toasted Pecan Caramel (Crispy Avenue)

By this point I was bun’d out — so not fair to this one. More fluffiness, with potent caramel. (Pictured back row/right in the lead photo.)

Now to the rankings …

Before I begin: The only bad cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had were ones that’d been left out too long and dried up. None of these were like that.

1 — Strawberries and Cream Roll, Cinnaholic (That’s right, a vegan one. I couldn’t really tell.)

2 — Raspberry Cheesecake, Crispy Avenue (My first-ever fancy cinnamon bun.)

3 — Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese, The Sourdough Co. (Simple, well-balance, familiar.)

4 — Pistachio Dark Chocolate, Crispy Avenue (I dig dark chocolate, but too dominant.)

5 — Cinnamon Toast Crunch Roll, Cinnaholic (I dig sweet, but this was overly.)

6 — Toasted Pecan Caramel, Crispy Avenue (I don’t dig caramel; I wouldn’t have ordered it.)

* While Cinnaholic’s vegan concept was absent from the store, its website shouts it on the top of the homepage:

Indulge Without Compromise! At Cinnaholic, every cinnamon roll is 100% plant-based, scratch-made, and fully customizable. Choose from over 20 premium frostings and toppings …

Curious.