The decorations are up and the carols have started playing, getting people into the festive spirit. To get your heart filled with Christmas joy, various cafés are already promoting this season’s drinks. Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, these seasonal beverages are delicious.
What I had: Starbucks’ Toffee Nut Frappuccino
Flavour: A recurring Christmas drink since 2009, the Toffee Nut Frappuccino is a hit among customers. With a rich, buttery flavour combined with a light nutty taste, its popularity does not come as a surprise. Starbucks also offers Peppermint and Cranberry White Chocolate flavours for their Christmas Frappuccino.
Cost: $6.20 (Tall)
Verdict: 5/5
What I had: The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s Double Chocolate Peppermint Ice Blended
Flavour: The chocolate flavour in this drink may overwhelm the taste of peppermint, but the Double Chocolate Peppermint Ice Blended is still a great tasting beverage for Christmas. For a hot alternative, Coffee Bean offers a Double Chocolate Peppermint Latté too.
Cost: $6.80 (SML) $7.80 (REG) $8.30 (LRG)
Verdict: 3.5/5
What I had: Spinelli’s Praline Mocha Spin
Flavour: For non-bakers, praline is a combination of sugar and nuts. Mix it in with a blend of chocolate and coffee and you will get this beautiful concoction. This cold beverage is creamy with a right amount of sweetness and just a hint of nuts. Spinelli also offers a White Chocolate Praline Spin. Both drinks come in both hot and cold.
Cost: $6.50 (L), $7.50 (XL)
Verdict: 4/5
What I had: Costa Coffee’s Gingerbread Coffee Cooler
Flavour: If you like the unique taste of Gingerbread, you are in for a treat. Costa Coffee did a wonderful job of combining coffee and gingerbread syrup, to bring you this frosty treat. The blend was creamy and smooth. The flavours complimented each other perfectly and the sweetness isn’t overwhelming. It is the perfect Christmas drink. Want something hot instead? You might also want to try their Gingerbread and Cream Latté.
Cost: $6.80 (S) $7.30 (M) $7.90 (L)
Verdict: 3.5/5
What I had: McCafe’s Hazelnut Crunch (Hot Latté)
Flavour: Hazelnut and coffee is a delicious combination, and it is widely used in most cafés. Similar to a Macchiato, the drink is made with milk first and then the espresso shots are added. Its hazelnut syrup is mixed in excellently with the steamed milk to give the drink its sweetness. It is topped off with a smooth and creamy layer of perfectly aerated milk foam and sprinkled with chocolate powder in a cute design. For a cold alternative, it comes in iced or frappé.
Cost: Hot – $4 (M), Iced – $4.60 (L), Frappé – $5.25 (L)
Verdict: 5/5
