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Previously published Feb 16. 2022
Every year, Starbucks releases a brand new holiday menu filled with fan-favorite drinks like Peppermint Mocha, Chestnut Praline Latte, Caramel Brulée Latte, and more. This year, on November 4, Starbucks released their 2021 holiday drink menu, with a new drink: Sugar Cookie Almond milk Latte. In addition to the drinks, Starbucks also included non-food options like the new Reindeer Cake Pop, Snowman Cookie, and the Cranberry Bliss Bar. Here at the Quill, our members have made it their mission to taste test the new holiday recipes and give their honest feedback and opinions.
The first drink we’ve tried is the new Sugar Cookie Almond milk Latte. Since this latte is the newest addition to the menu, there has undoubtedly been a lot of buzz surrounding this drink. “While the red and green sprinkles add a nice Christmas feel, the actual flavor of the drink seemed really similar to other Starbucks lattes. There didn’t seem to be a distinct sugar cookie taste”, Ava Yu (11) claimed.
Next, we ordered the Snowman Cookie. “In my opinion, compared to Starbucks’ usual great bakery pastries, the Snowman Cookie was a disappointment,” said Ava Yu (11). Not only was the cookie incredibly dry and crumbly, but the thick layer of sugar coating made the cookie hard to bite into. While the design was festive, it was hardly enough to make up for the subpar taste.
Along with the cookie, we got the Chestnut Praline Latte, which has been a holiday classic since 2014. While it has been a cult favorite over all these years, is it really that good? Members at the Quill have tried the drink at various locations, and found the greatest problem to be the inconsistency in the amount of the spiced praline crumbs. All of us at the Quill who have tried the drink firmly agree the crumbs are an integral part of the drink, it might even be said that they make or break the drink. However, despite the overall inconsistency of crumbs, the drink exhibits the harmony of three distinct flavors and deserves its rating of 9/10 on USATODAY.
The Peppermint Mocha Latte was what we tried next. From the name, it seems like the drink would consist of an odd and unpleasant combination of mint, chocolate and coffee, and it was. From the sweetness of the mocha syrup and the refreshing taste of Starbucks’ peppermint syrup was born a disgusting yet potent and lingering combination.