The holiday season is once again upon us! While the city dressed itself up and people ran around trying to get the best deals on their gifts, one of my goals this year was to try each of the holiday coffees that Starbucks has to offer. I’m a big coffee drinker (think Lorelai Gilmore-level), but rarely step out of ordering my usual peppermint drink this time of year. I decided to take on the Starbucks holiday drink challenge and ranked them based on pure taste.
Chestnut Praline Chai Tea Latte: 1 / 4 stars
This was the first of the holiday coffees I tried and after one sip, I was scared I had made a mistake undergoing this endeavor. I’m not a fan of chai tea anyway, but this drink was too full of spice for my liking. After running around co-op for half an hour and returning to this drink, it tasted even worse.
Chestnut Praline Latte: 1.5 / 4 stars
This cup had no chai tea taste like its sister drink above, but I still didn’t favor the flavors. Chestnut has been a holiday staple for years, but I wish Starbucks hadn’t mixed this one up in the test kitchen.
Holiday Spice Flat White: 1.5 / 4 stars
Image courtesy of Starbucks
A solid taste with just a little less flavor than I anticipated; it was a decent cup of coffee. I couldn’t quite get the holiday spice taste from this cup, but it was warm and cozy, making a 7 a.m. walk to co-op in the bitter cold a tiny bit more tolerable!
Eggnog Latte: 2 / 4 stars
Eggnog = a classic holiday drink. Eggnog latte = no, thank you. There was way more than a sprinkle of nutmeg on the top of my cup and that totally overwhelmed the main flavor. While it did put me in quite a holiday mood and it was good to try it once, once is enough.
Caramel Brulee Latte: 2 / 4 stars
Image courtesy of Starbucks
This drink was one of the more delicious I tried this week, but it doesn’t deserve full stars because it honestly didn’t get me in the holiday mood. I know that sounds silly, but this is a ranking of holiday drinks and I felt like this drink wasn’t so special for this time of the year. I felt like I could order it in the summer and it wouldn’t make a difference.
Gingerbread Latte: 2.5 / 4 stars
This was the hottest drink I tried on the menu. Two girls in front of me ordered this before I did, and I could tell the barista was over holiday drinks already. I love gingerbread-anything this time of year and if you want, add whipped cream for an extra touch!
Peppermint Mocha: 3.5 / 4 stars
This was the first drink I tried that really reminded me of the holidays. Although I am a little biased about peppermint, from the first sip, I was hooked. The only reason this doesn’t have a full four stars is because I had to heat it up after letting it sit for an hour (crazy co-op hours!) and the taste faltered a little.
Toasted White Chocolate Mocha: 4 / 4 stars
This was my favorite drink I tried these past couple of weeks! It was hot, delicious and full-on Christmas in a cup! The taste of white chocolate was not overpowering, nor were the three espresso shots I had asked for. I even asked for extra of the topping (cranberry sugar) and the barista was happy to oblige!
Hopefully these rankings of the holiday drinks Starbucks have to offer will help you when making a decision the next time you go to grab a cup of joe! Some coffees were not worth the price and others had me ready to wrap presents underneath the tree while singing along to Andy Williams. If you’re looking to get ready for the holiday season, make sure to stop at Starbucks and grab yourself a treat!