It is finally winter and the festive holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s time for every coffee shop in town to release their festive drinks, so for this holiday season, I sampled a few drinks from a few coffee shops and rated them to help people find their favorite Christmas drink. 

Starbucks

Starting with Starbucks first, I got four drinks in total: the Gingerbread Chai Latte, Iced Peppermint Mocha, Cran-Merry drink, and the iced Chestnut Praline Latte.

First I tried the Gingerbread Chai. A very sweet and festive drink with gingerbread syrup and pumpkin spice sprinkled on top. It tastes exactly like a gingerbread cookie. This drink is an excellent choice for anyone who likes to try festive drinks during the holiday season since it captures the essence of Christmas perfectly.

Then was the Iced Peppermint Mocha. Out of all of the Starbucks drinks that I tried from Starbucks, this one quickly became my favorite. It has a strong coffee flavor with a minty aftertaste. It’s the kind of drink that comes to mind when I think of Christmas.

Next was the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher. If you are not a fan of coffee and still want to enjoy some festive drinks then this is a perfect choice for you since this drink is closer to a juice. This drink is sour at first but after a few sips, it leaves a sweet aftertaste.

And lastly, it is the Iced Chestnut Praline Latte, which is mildly sweet and tastes like an average drink at Starbucks with a hint of pecan. It is a good drink however even though it is a seasonal drink it did not give off the same unique festive vibes that the other drinks had. It is good for anyone who prefers simpler drinks but still wants to enjoy holiday beverages.

Hasel Cafe

After Starbucks, I headed to the Hasel Cafe. Although they only had one seasonal drink on their menu, it was still one of my favorites. The place also had really good food and was very cozy too. If you are looking for a cafe to study in after school then this is the perfect place for you. Their holiday drink was a classic Pumpkin Spice Latte, it had a creamy taste and a lot of cinnamon sprinkled on top. It tasted exactly like a pumpkin pie, even though I am not a big fan of pumpkin I would get this drink again. It is worth the visit.

Now I will be asking hazen students to share their thoughts about their favorite coffee shops, the drinks that they enjoy, and their thoughts on festive beverages.

“My favorite coffee Shop is Starbucks of course and the matcha frappuccino is my go-to drink. I haven’t tried many of their Christmas drinks since I don’t know which one to get but the gingerbread Chai Latte was pretty good” Kaylee Doung(11)

“My favorite coffee shop is the coffeeholic house in Seattle because of how good it is. I’m not sure if they have any festive drinks but my favorite drink would be the vanilla latte or the matcha latte” Yusra Hassan(11)

“I don’t have a favorite coffee shop but I’ve been to the Hasel Cafe a few times. The place is really cute and it feels like a good environment to study in. I really enjoyed the pumpkin spice latte and I would like to try their pastries next.” Vianney Sandoval(11)

Holiday drinks are everyone’s favorite and exploring their flavors is a way to bring everyone together during this holiday season.