holiday Drink Review
By: Aleena Khan & Megan Ortwein
Looking for a fun drink to splurge on this holiday season? We rated some holiday drinks from the popular chains Starbucks and Dunkin.
Starbucks’ Caramel Brulee (12 fl oz) $4.45
There is no doubt that Starbucks knows how to serve an aesthetically pleasing beverage. We were pleasantly impressed to discover that their festive Caramel Brulee also delivers a well-balanced taste. This order is sure to satisfy coffee-drinking regulars and infrequent consumers alike. The caramel provides a delicious tone of sweetness that is not sickeningly overpowering and does not mask the hallmark bitterness of coffee. With this seasonal brew, Starbucks mastered the perfect sugary drink that is still reminiscent of the traditional coffee flavor. We rated this an 8.5/10 and recommend that you add this option to your list of future orders. |
Dunkin White Hot Chocolate (16 fl oz) $3.61
One of the most iconic holiday classics is a latte. Dunkin decided to take the classic and spin it into a white chocolate latte which ended up scoring high on our rankings. The white chocolate latte was a hit, especially if you like overly sweet drinks. Overall, the drink was a solid 7/10 because of the nice blend of flavors. |
Starbucks Peppermint Mocha (12 fl oz) $4.65
The best way that we could describe this drink is a liquified version of the Andes mints you receive after a meal at Olive Garden. If you can imagine this mixed with mocha coffee, the results are not pleasant. Overall, we were disappointed by the clashing peppermint and mocha flavors and the pungent taste of this beverage. Its only redeemable qualities were that it was served in a pretty cup and it was sweeter than Dunkin’s take on this flavor, which earned it a 5.5/10. |
Dunkin Peppermint Mocha (16 fl oz) $4.36
This mocha was on the cheaper side of the four we tried; however, it was arguably one of the worst. When purchasing this drink, we were given the plain Dunkin cup rather than the holiday cup. Regardless of the looks, the drink was extremely underwhelming due to the bitterness and lacked peppermint flavor. The lack of peppermint could be attributed to the overpowering nature of the coffee that was mixed in with it. Overall the drink was a 4/10 due to the lack of holiday flavors and the poor designing of the cup. |