During the holiday season, local coffee shops such as Starbucks and the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf bring back some of their signature winter drinks and also introduce new additions. From lattes to traditional hot chocolate, you will be warm all over enjoying one of the many beverages offered.
The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf has a few seasonal favorites returning like the Peppermint Mocha, the Winter Dream Tea Latte, and the Chocolate Pecan Latte.
The Winter Dream Tea Latte, (which I highly recommend) is made from rooibos, orange peels, black tea, licorice root, cinnamon, cloves, and is mixed with a vanilla flavoring. It can be made hot or cold and also blended this year. You know you have found a good drink when you don’t need to add flavor or anything to it.
The Winter Dream Tea Latte tastes amazing, and will put you in the holiday spirit. You can also order the tea bags in store or online to enjoy in the comfort of your own home.
Starbucks has a line-up of returning drinks such as the Gingerbread Latte, the Caramel Brûlée Latte, the Snickerdoodle Hot Cocoa, the Eggnog Latte, and a few others.
If you are into hot cocoa, the Snickerdoodle Hot Cocoa is a must buy! It is made with white chocolate mocha sauce, cinnamon dolce syrup, and it is topped with whipped cream and cinnamon sugar.
It tastes exactly like a sugar cookie in the form of a hot drink.
The Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate was a bit disappointing. This is made with toffee nut and vanilla syrup, caramel sauce, sugar and sea salt topped with whipped cream to finish.
I tried this out, and ultimately, it was lacking the salted caramel I was waiting to taste. What I experienced was more of a hot chocolate with an over abundance of chocolate flavoring.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte needs no introduction. Although this drink comes around during late September, it is on the menu until January. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is made with espresso, notes of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
It is a fall favorite and a must-buy if you enjoy pumpkin-flavored drinks. The experience of a warm Pumpkin Spice Latte just sets the seasonal mood off right.
The Gingerbread Latte has returned this year, made with espresso, steamed milk, and topped with whip cream and nutmeg.
While trying this out, it left a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I didn’t get any flavors or notes reminiscent of gingerbread. The espresso is very prominent, making it the stand out flavor.
With any drink you choose, different ingredients can be substituted, especially if you have an allergy to anything used to make these drinks.
There are many other beverages to try and I recommend heading to your local Starbucks or Coffee Bean to try out some of these seasonal favorites. Happy Holidays!
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