starbucks holiday menu<3 - Free Press Online

Peppermint Mocha

Hot chocolate with a hint of coffee and a melted candy cane. However, the sweet flavor of the mint becomes overpowering halfway through the drink. Smaller sizes like tall or grande are perfect for this drink.

Design by Baila Love

Caramel Brûlée Latte

Buttery pound cake with a hint of caramel. Those with a sweet tooth will thoroughly enjoy this drink.

Chestnut Praline Latte

The perfect alternative to the Caramel Brulee Latte for a lighter, less sweet option.

Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte

Perfection in a cup. Enough to make a casual Starbucks hater wait in line for this delicious treat. This drink was a shocker considering the level of backlash and criticisms it received in previous seasons. A big improvement from last year.

Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai

So yummy. The gingerbread adds the perfect Christmas touch to the popular Chai Latte.

Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino

Tastes vaguely of menthol. This drink might make one reminisce on sick days accompanied by a jar of Vicks VapoRub.

Cran-Merry Drink

Sweet, tart, and delicious. If you’ve ever wondered what Hobby Lobby would taste like, look no further. The cranberry taste is just strong enough, yet not overpowering. However, this drink is not like Starbucks's other refreshers, which are neutral enough that someone who doesn’t like the ingredients could still enjoy it.

Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher

While very tasty, this drink was almost indistinguishable from the regular Cran-Merry drink. This drink was a perfect opportunity to tie in citrus elements from classic winter and holiday dishes, yet it seems like Starbucks is playing it safe with the flavors. The orange flavor notes could’ve been more apparent with this drink.

Turkey Sage Danish

Tastes like biscuits and gravy and of being home for breakfast during the holidays. While this danish was filling in taste, the portions compared to other Starbucks menu items felt lacking. While smaller portions would be understandable if this pastry was overly rich or sweet, it was fairly standard in its flavor notes.

Dark Toffee Bundt

This bundt cake is rich in flavor, yet lacking in quality, making one bite more than enough. One might expect more from this item considering the level of effort required to mess up a bundt cake. Close runner-up to the worst item on the seasonal menu.

Snowman Cake Pop

Sweet and tasty, yet unoriginal. While there is nothing inherently bad about this cake pop, one might expect more from a treat included on a holiday menu. Aside from the snowman design, this cake pop had no seasonal or holiday components. A more experimental approach with the flavor would easily make this cake pop a simple and yummy addition to the seasonal menu that compliments the flavors in other items.

Penguin Cookie

Instead of spending $3.45, it would be far more reasonable to be paid $3.45 to eat this. Dry, bland, and foul are all words that one could use to describe this cookie. Unimpressed is an understatement. Nauseated might more accurately depict the experience of eating this cookie.

Egg Pesto and Mozzarella Sandwich

Lacking in pesto and seasonal notes but still a delightful, savory treat. If this sandwich was not labeled as a seasonal item, it would be hard to know. This spot on the menu felt like a missed opportunity for Starbucks to adapt a classic seasonal dish into a quick and easy sandwich.