Every year, the unveiling of the Starbucks holiday menu is greatly anticipated all over the world, as their delicious seasonal drinks and food are only available for around two months.
I am one of those people and that try to taste at least one new holiday drink every year.
I tried two seasonal drinks, one hot and one cold, a breakfast sandwich, and a bakery item.
I went to my usual Starbucks on Arden and Eastern, and the drinks and food were out in no time, which is made my experience great from the start.
My favorite drink of the two that I had was the snickerdoodle hot chocolate, which costed $3.45 for a tall. Normally I don’t go for hot drinks but this one is an exception.
The already tasty flavor of hot chocolate is elevated with white chocolate and cinnamon dulce syrup blended in and topped with cinnamon sugar.
This drink might be too sweet for some tastes, but that was what I loved about it. This is one of the best drinks at Starbucks and I highly recommend it.
The other drink I tried, was an iced eggnog latte which cost $4.45 for a tall, disappointed me. I had high hopes because eggnog is my favorite drink during the holiday season but it lacked the punch of the original flavor.
The espresso overpowered the eggnog flavor and made it taste more like a regular iced coffee than a seasonal drink. For me, when I get a drink that is supposed to be different and special, I want it to taste special like it’s supposed to be.
The cranberry bliss bar is a holiday staple at Starbucks and is so good that I wish it was available year round. It is a blondie cookie with cranberries mixed in the batter and topped with sweet cream cheese and white orange drizzle.
It is the perfect mixture of sweet and sour in one bite. The tart cranberries balance out the sweetness of the frosting perfectly.
Another returning item is the carved ham and swiss breakfast sandwich. For $4.95, you get sugar-coated maple ham, a slice of swiss cheese, and egg on a croissant bun.
The contrast of the savory ham and egg with the sweet bun and sugar coating and is something I will probably get throughout the holiday season.
My only complaint is that the croissant bun seemed to be a little dry and stiff, but was not so obvious that it ruined the sandwich.
Overall, I am happy with all of the items I tried and will definitely get the snickerdoodle hot chocolate, ham and swiss sandwich and cranberry bliss bar again.
I do not recommend the iced eggnog latte, unless you like drinks with more muted flavors. However, the hot version might have more flavor than the iced one so I cannot judge that.
Although everyone is different I think these new items are delicious and worth the price.