By Jocelyn Farias,
Staff Writer.
With the holidays approaching, popular coffee destinations like Starbucks and other cafes are releasing their holiday menus. Not only are there seasonal drinks, but most of these places carry festive pastries as well. These treats are both comforting and indulgent, leaving you with long-lasting memories to look forward to. However, choosing the best cafe to experience the holiday spirit can be overwhelming.
Starbucks is an iconic option if you’re looking for delicious and festive drinks. For example, their Peppermint Mocha, with its rich coffee and chocolate flavor, contains a hint of mint like a liquified candy cane. Another popular and festive drink is the infamous Gingerbread Chai Latte. With a creamy gingerbread cold foam and a sweet velvety texture, it’s hard to miss. They also offer healthier holiday drinks like the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte. Almondmilk has less fat than regular milk and the drink has fewer grams of sugar.
Starbucks doesn’t only sell holiday-inspired drinks but pastries too. The Sugar Plum Cheese Danish is warm, sweet and fruity with a tangy cream cheese filling. Many people say it is a must-have. A couple of new holiday food items at Starbucks are the Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread and Polar Bear Cake Pop.
The popular cafe destination Dunkin Donuts is also filled with holiday spirit encompassed in their menu. The Cookie Butter Cold Brew is often a top choice, with notes of cinnamon and brown sugar plus cookie butter cold foam and syrup. The new Bacon Jam Grilled Cheese at Dunkin has also received some mixed feedback with most absolutely loving it. The combination of sweet and savory flavors made many people come back for more, although some don’t like the texture.
Starbucks and Dunkin are not the only places where you can get delicious and healthy holiday drinks. Dutch Bros is adding new additions to their holiday menu: Jingle Nog Latte, Mistletoe Rebel and Holiday Cookie Freeze. “I love the holiday menu! I get the [Candy Cane Mocha] all the time. It’s like the best thing ever,” exclaimed senior Dylan Paris. One of the returning drinks is the Hazelnut Truffle Mocha. It has a rich chocolate espresso and sweet hazelnut flavoring. Another returning favorite is the Candy Cane Mocha. It tastes like a sweet mocha with a refreshing peppermint flavor. For a healthier option you can go for the Hopscotch Zero Sugar Added Protein Latte. It is sweetened with a sugar-free caramel drizzle and combined with espresso and protein milk.
There are so many popular coffee destinations with different holiday menus that it can get very difficult to choose. From cold and refreshing but fitting with the holiday spirit to a warm, sweet and comforting drink to a more healthy holiday drink option, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and Dutch Bros are all good choices with a variety of options.
