November 15th, 2021
Oh, November. Now that spooky season has come to an end we embark on a journey through the month of November. Crunchy leaves, pumpkins, leftover pumpkin spice, and holiday drinks? Well, regardless of whether Thanksgiving is celebrated or Fall Break becomes a joyful familial reprieve, there is an influx of holiday decorations and related things. The Christmas trees have started cropping up (hello Rockefeller Center) and the beginning of the 24/7 replay of John Lennon’s “War is Over.” It is indeed the holiday season which surely means gifts, family, food, traveling, chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Sure. It also surely means new Starbucks holiday-themed drinks!!! The holiday-themed drinks dropped on November the 4th. Usually, these drinks are so sugary-sweet that it makes your teeth ache unless you like that sort of thing, which is no shame but after Halloween and the buckets of candy consumed it is a little questionable. In any case, I will sacrifice myself for the sake of overly priced coffee and holiday goodness to give a guide on which drinks to skip and which ones to sip.
*Note: Typically I order my coffee light iced and with oat milk unless the drink happens to come with dairy-free milk. I order the drinks with blonde espresso instead of signature espresso because it is smoother and has more caffeine but I am going to try the drinks with whatever espresso that comes in them in order to keep some factors consistent. I do typically put less of the pumps of whatever syrup and sauce because of sugar content. (All opinions are my own and all drinks were purchased myself this is not sponsored by Starbucks but Starbucks should consider sponsoring me).
- New: Starbucks (Iced) Sugarcookie Almondmilk Latte: This sweet treat (which can be ordered hot or iced) just dropped on the menu today 11/4/21 and I had to try it. It come with 6 pumps of sugar cookie syrup in a venti (and three shots of espresso versus two in hot drinks) but I halved the syrup and got three pumps which was still plenty sweet. This is a drink that lets the espresso shine and has a subtle carmelly taste. I am not a huge fan of almond milk (specifically the one used at Starbucks) but I enjoy not having to pay nearly a dollar to substitute for it. It is a non-dairy drink (completely vegan) made with almond milk, sugar cookie syrup, blonde espresso, and topped with red and green sprinkles. How festive! I heard that ordering it iced, subbing oat milk, and adding vanilla sweet cream cold foam + optional caramel drizzle makes it even better. Rating: 6/10
- Classic: Starbucks Peppermint Mocha: The peppermint mocha is a classic and apparently is turning 19 years old this year. It consists of steamed milk of choice, signature espresso, mocha sauce, peppermint syrup, and is topped with whipped cream and chocolate curls. It can be ordered hot, iced, or as a frappuccino if you are feeling in the mood. I usually order this drink hot because it is so comforting and delicious but I am sure it would be equally good iced or really good as a frappuccino. I got a venti with oat milk, and kept the signature espresso. It comes with six pumps of mocha and peppermint respectively so I got two of each and kept the whipped cream and chocolate curls. My only caveot is that the chocolate can be really rich and all around a lot which is the main reason why I halve the syrup pumps. Nonetheless, everytime I get this drink I feel this overwhelming sense of nostalgia for ice skating in the city, and the crisp smell of cold winter air. All around the best feelings ever! Rating: 8/10
- Classic with A Twist: Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha: The peppermint mocha is a classic and the white mocha is a classic so why not combine the two together? This drink consists of milk of choice, espresso, white chocolate mocha sauce, peppermint syrup and is topped off with whipped cream. I ordered a venti, hot with oat milk and got two pumps of each respective sauce/syrup keeping the whipped cream. I decided with this drink to step it up on another day and ordered it with light ice, oat milk, two pumps of each sauce and the best part: vanilla sweet cream cold foam. This drink is definitely a Friday after work sort of treat because it is super sweet and the chocolate adds richness to it. Rating: 8/10
- Another Twist On A Classic: Starbucks Toasted White Chocolate Mocha: This is essentially the same as the white mocha but not nearly as sweet due to the ‘toasted’ element of the toasted white chocolate mocha sauce. This drink combines milk of choice, with espresso, and caramelized white chocolate mocha sauce. It is topped off with whipped cream, ‘holiday sugar sparkles,’ and crispy white pearls. I ordered a venti, hot, with oatmilk, got three pumps of the sauce, and kept the whipped cream with the topping. This is a drink that I could see myself drinking more than once per week because it is not nearly as rich as the other mochas on this list. It still does not beat out the Caramel Brulee Latte. Rating: 7/10
- Winter Favorite: Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte: This drink is the reason I look forward to winter and alas my free birthday drink. It tastes like a Worthers Caramel and is probably my favorite on this list. This delicious decadance consists of your milk of choice, espresso, caramel brulee sauce, topped off with whipped cream and a caramel bruless topping. I ordered this drink hot with oat milk and got three pumps of the caramel brulee sauce instead of six keeping the whipped cream and topping. I am biased because I love caramel so much and anything to do with caramel will nearly always get a thumbs up in my book. Rating: 10/10
- Skeptical Suprise: Starbucks Chestnut Praline Latte: This is a drink that I normally would not order but was pleasantly surprised. This drinks consists of milk of choice, espresso, and chestnut praline syrup topped with whipped cream and praline topping. It can be ordered hot, iced, or as a frappuccino. I got a tall, hot with oat milk and kept the whipped cream and praline topping. I am not sure if I would get it again but if you enjoy flavors that ere to the holiday spice side then it is worth a shot. Rating: 5/10
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