Festive winter coffees

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Okay maybe not yet, Christmas is still over a month away but the weeks leading up to it are pretty swell too. Frankfurter markets are popping up all over the country, Christmas trees and decorations are going up in the streets, and coffee shops are bringing back their yearly winter drinks! Move over Pumpkin Spice Latte, there is a new holiday season in town.

Starbucks

The red cups are back! The festive season at Starbucks is so highly anticipated all year that there is a special website counting down to #redcups. Sadly, a lot of people were disappointed by the red cups of 2015 as they were a simple plain red instead of their usual Christmassy appearance. It has caused of a lot of awkward outrage amongst Christmas fanatics but that doesn’t take away from the deliciousness of the actual drinks.

This year you can enjoy four wonderfully warm and sweet coffees and hot chocolates. There is the classic Eggnog Latte, the new Gingerbread Latte topped with wafer crumbs, the Toffee Nut Latte with whipped cream, and the indulgent Honey and Almond Hot Chocolate for the non-coffee lovers.  The perfect pick me up for a dreary November day.

Caffè Nero

At Caffè Nero this year you can enjoy three specialty coffees: two lattes and a mocha. The mocha is especially interesting as it is made with white chocolate. Caffè Nero mixes espresso with white chocolate sauce and steamed milk to create their White Chocolate Mocha (of course with a generous topping of whipped cream). If you are aching for something fruitier try their Winter Berry Latte, a mix of espresso and blackberry syrup or the Spiced Orange Latte with a cheeky shot of triple sec syrup.

Costa

If you are really hunting for a cute holiday cup, you can always head to Costa and try out their assortment of specialty drinks. Their cups feature penguins, robins, snowmen, and of course Santa himself. As for the drinks there are two coffees: Gingerbread and Cream Latte topped with an adorable little gingerbread man and Salted Caramel Cappuccino, as well as two hot chocolates: Caramel Fudge and Black Forest. If you are feeling extra festive you can even opt for mulled winter fruits or one of their Christmassy snacks – pigs in blankets panini? Yum!

Sally Wijers