Starbucks released its seasonal drinks with unique holiday-themed flavors Nov. 2. These drinks will be available all through the holiday season.
Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate
The Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate, priced at £6.45, perfectly fits its description – a thick and smooth hot chocolate with a perfect balance of sweetness. The drink is topped with chocolate-flavored whipped cream and crispy brownie bits, which adds nicely to its flavor. Despite the high cost, this drink is filling and delicious, making the price justifiable for this perfect drink to get into the holiday spirit.
Caramel Waffle Frappuccino
The Caramel Waffle Frappuccino is the ideal drink for those who want to enjoy a sweet treat during the holidays. This drink carries a strong sweetness with a light coffee flavor. It is priced highly at £6.25, and although some may find the delicious flavor worth the cost, we certainly do not. The subtleness of the coffee makes the frappuccino perfect for those who dislike strong coffee but still want to get a little caffeine boost.
Toffee Nut Frappuccino
The first sip of the Toffee Nut Frappuccino reveals an instantaneous strong nutty flavor. Priced at £6.25, this frappuccino had the perfect coffee-to-sweetness ratio. This drink was topped with whipped cream and toffee nut sprinkles, giving it an extra boost for those with a sweet tooth.
Gingerbread Frappuccino
The Gingerbread Frappuccino is a coffee and milk drink with gingerbread syrup for the price of £6.20. The gingerbread taste was very strong and spicy, with flavors of cinnamon and ginger. Although it was not sweet, the spices had a very strong and rich flavor. Overall, this was not a drink we would purchase again, and had a slightly bitter and unpleasant taste.
Chocolate Gingerbread Frappuccino
As a variation on the Gingerbread Frappuccino, Starbucks has released the same gingerbread flavor with added mocha sauce. Similar to the plain Gingerbread Frappuccino, this drink was very strong, but the additional chocolate flavoring left a more distinct flavor than the Gingerbread Frappuccino. The combination of gingerbread and chocolate was quite excessive and made the drink overwhelming, resulting in a less favorable taste. For £6.30, this drink is not worth the price at all.
Eggnog Latte
Finally, the eggnog latte is a regular espresso drink with eggnog sauce. The drink lacks flavor; it simply has a very milky taste. Though the drink might appeal to those who enjoy eggnog, it would not become a favorite for those who prefer richer flavors. The latte was very creamy and sweet, but for £6.25, it is an expensive festive drink.
Overall, our favorite Starbucks holiday drinks were the Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate with its thick and smooth texture and delicious fudgy chocolate taste, as well as the Caramel Waffle Frappuccino with its satisfying and creamy caramel-biscuit flavor. However, the drinks were very overpriced compared to popular alternatives, such as Gail’s and Pret a Manger, where lattes generally cost around £4.00. Although these drinks were great festive treats, most of them were not worth the high price.
