With the long-awaited reintroduction of Starbucks’ holiday menu, customers can now frequent Starbucks stores, full of festive decorations, to try new items and enjoy old favorites. Even though some menu items had slightly raised prices, this did not stop customers from seeking a taste of the Starbucks holiday cheer.
As holiday season arrives, every Starbucks store puts up their holiday decorations.
Decoration is not the only thing that sparks holiday spirits; some stores show their excitement by arrange up fun little activities.
Christmas gift cards and cups have replaced regular year long gift cards and cups.
Limited holiday flavors such as peppermint, chestnut praline, and caramel brulee are all available in latte, frappuccino, mocha, etc.
Peppermint Mocha
Available sizes: tall, grande, and venti
Price: $5.45 to $5.95
Served hot
The most popular item on the menu, the Peppermint Mocha is a fantastic way to kick off the holiday season strong. Decorated with whipped cream swirled with chocolate curls, the drink adds the classic coffee duo of espresso and milk with mocha and peppermint syrup to bring it all together. This combination of ingredients gives the drink a refreshing mint flavor that perfectly contrasts with the bitter taste of the espresso and mocha–no wonder it’s so popular.
Caramel Brulee Latte
Available sizes: tall, grande, and venti
Price: $5.45 to $5.95
Served hot and cold
The Caramel Brulée Latte is definitely the way to go for those that prefer something sweeter than the Peppermint Mocha. The smokier winter flavor is the key factor that makes it stand out compared to the caramel latte offered on the year-long menu. The season-limited ingredients, the Caramel Brulée sauce and topping, give the latte its unique smoky taste..This dessert-like drink is perfect for unwinding on a chilly winter day, and always puts satisfied smiles on customers’ faces.
Chestnut Praline Latte
Available sizes: short, tall, grande, and venti
Price: $3.95 to $4.95
Served hot and cold
The Chestnut Praline Latte is more than nostalgic for its most loyal fans. Nutty and buttery flavors nicely balance the drink’s sweetness, and the earthy aroma signals a hint of oatmeal while preserving the mellowness of the coffee. The punchline to the holiday flavor of this seasonal drink must be the spiced praline crumbs sprinkled on top, unarguably one of the most popular Starbucks toppings. The Chestnut Praline flavor also strikes flawlessly as a frappuccino. New customers will be astonished by all the dynamic tastes carried in this cozy winter sipper.
Starbucks pushed out multiple holiday limited items on the bakery menu.
Reindeer Cake Pop
Price: $2.95 to $3.25
The Reindeer Cake Pop is shaped as a cute reindeer head made of vanilla cake on the interior. It is covered in colorful chocolate icing with Rudoff’s red nose for a remarkable emphasis. The first bite is soft and smooth, and the familiar sweet combination of vanilla and chocolate icing just proves that they are the best match for each other. This festive little treat makes an ideal boost to the holiday spirit.
Cranberry Bliss Bar
Price: $3.45 for one single piece and $17.95 for one tray of six pieces
The Cranberry Bliss Bar, which also comes in a tray with six slices, is a perfect dish to wrap up the holiday season as well as this review. The generous amount of dried cranberries in this blondie cake is more than worthy of the price. The orange-flavored cream cheese icing distinguishes the cake from other bakery items with a sweet and sour fruity taste. Each bite carries a variety in texture: the smooth icing, chewy cranberries, and soft cake bond together into one piece.
Snowman Cookie
Price: $2.95 to $3.25
The Snowman Cookie is another great choice for lovers of chocolate icing. The buttery shortbread cookie depicts the snowman, and white chocolate icing colors it. A fun fact of this dessert is that the snowman’s scarf and earpuff vary between red and blue at different stores! Starbucks has always done a good job balancing the sweetness of its items. With this dessert, they make the butter cookie relatively plain, since the thick outer layer of icing is sweet. This adorable snowman that never melts is ready to spend a cozy winter with every customer.
Left: Starbucks has started a toy drive to welcome the holiday season. Right: Supervisors and baristas became creative with store decorations.
The Starbucks holiday menu has been vibing with the excitement of the Christmas season. From the fresh coffee drinks and sugary snacks to festive holiday decorations and dressed-up baristas, Starbucks shows its customers that it’s more than prepared to spend the best winter with them yet. Old customers can continue the tradition of revisiting their most beloved holiday items, and new customers can celebrate the winter holidays by discovering something new, tasty, and enchanting.
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