As the winter season approaches, Starbucks has released its annual winter menu with a variety of drinks and desserts Nov. 7, including some recurring fan favorites along with new ones.
One of the most popular drinks, their Caramel Brulee Latte is back on the menu with the options of being served iced or hot. The drink consists of their signature espresso paired with steamed milk, a rich caramel brulee sauce, whipped cream and heavenly caramel bits on top. It’s rated a 10/10 because of its delectable and sweet flavor that always hits the spot.
Another returning drink this year is the Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte, made from sugar cookie-flavored syrup, rich blonde espresso roast, almond milk and festive red and green sprinkles on top. Like many of the other drinks, this one could be served hot or cold. This drink received a 6/10 as its flavor was slightly underwhelming and wasn’t anything extraordinary.
In addition to the other drinks, the Chestnut Praline made it back to the menu this year. It’s made from Starbucks’ signature espresso roast, smooth steamed milk, caramelized chestnuts and spices, whipped cream and exquisite praline crumbs. While it has a pleasant and balanced flavor, it wasn’t as remarkable as some of this years’ other drinks, so it received a rating of 7/10.
Another popular drink that is making a return to the holiday menu is the Iced Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai which mixes together the perfect amount of chai spices and is topped off with a delicious gingerbread flavored cold foam, as well as a spice topping. The drink all together receives a 10/10 for its flavorful taste that gives the ultimate holiday feeling.
Additionally, Starbucks has reintroduced their Peppermint Mocha drink available as either iced or hot. The iced version is absolutely mouthwatering with an ideal amount of peppermint and mocha syrup topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls. The drink is even better when it’s warm as it hits the spot on a cold winter day. If the holiday season was a drink, this is the one. Overall, this drink receives 9.5/10.
On top of the numerous coffee-based drinks, Starbucks has added a new drink but this time a refresher. The Cranmerry Orange Refresher wasn’t a horrible drink, but it definitely wasn’t amazing. The drink itself was refreshing and semi-flavorful, but a new refresher specifically made for the winter menu is weird and absurd. In addition, the cranberry bits inside the drink were absolutely disgusting and destroyed the flavor. Therefore, this refresher will receive a score of 4/10.
With both new and returning flavors, the holiday cold foams are an impeccable complement to any cold brew or iced coffee offered at Starbucks. The Peppermint Chocolate Cream cold foam has peppermint flavored syrup and chocolate malt powder that mixes perfectly with the signature vanilla sweet cream that all cold foams have. More familiar flavors seen on the menu are the Sugar Cookie Cream cold foam, the Caramel Brulee Cream cold foam and the Chestnut Praline Cream cold foam, with each bringing a new flavor to the several drinks they are in or can be added to. Starbucks also welcomed a new cold foam to the menu, the Gingerbread Cream cold foam which has a sweet and delicious gingerbread taste.
Not only did the winter menu include these drinks, they also added winter-inspired desserts. A recurring one is the cranberry bliss bar. This treat is not that flavorful, and the dried cranberries sprinkled on top aren’t a good addition to the cream-cheese icing on the cookie. This cookie didn’t meet the expectation of many people and will receive a 3/10.
A brand new Snowman cake pop has been added to the new menu, with a vanilla inside mixed with buttercream that is dipped in white chocolate, the new treat is an ideal addition to the variety of other desserts Starbucks offers. Along with the cake pop, a new buttery shortbread cookie has been added that comes with a festive penguin design to liven up people’s everyday desserts. Overall, both desserts receive a 10/10.
Like every year, many customers enjoyed Starbucks’ divine winter drinks and dessert menu that will leave them wanting more when it comes to an end.