Starbucks’ long awaited winter menu is finally here! Their new mix of flavors includes gingerbread, peppermint, sugar cookie, cranberry orange, dark toffee, vanilla, and sage.  While some drinks and treats make you want to come back for more, others might make you question if they should even stay on their holiday menu. There are so many options to explore, from icy frappuccinos to relaxing refreshers, but not all of them are worth reordering. After tasting all of their new items, here’s our review of what’s worth trying.

Do Recommend

• Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte: 5/5 Snowballs

  

This drink stands out the most and is an ongoing fan favorite every winter. At $5.75, this order captures everything a sugar cookie offers plus a sweet and smooth flavor, topped with bright red and green sprinkles that add the perfect crunch.  The subtle almond milk base tones down the sweetness of the sugar cookie flavor and turns this holiday drink into a regular for the next few months.  If you love your usual Iced Vanilla Latte but want something more playful and sweet, this is worth trying.

• Penguin Cookie: 4/5 Snowballs

If you are intrigued by sugar cookie drinks like that one, this sweet treat is one of their winter items to pair with it. This buttery shortbread cookie has a light and fluffy texture with just the right amount of sweetness. At $3.45, the chewiness is its one flaw, but when paired with your favorite drink, it becomes ultimately satisfying. Of course, the cute penguin design is an attention grabber, but its taste is what makes people keep coming back for more.

• Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher: 3/5 Snowballs

This drink gives you a refreshing cranberry burst! At first sip, a distinct Christmas store scent fills your mouth with hints of orange and cranberry, but after a few more sips, the pinecone and spice flavors go away and a tart cranberry taste takes over.  At $5.45, I would pick this over the Cran-Merry any day and even over some of Starbucks’ other refreshers. I grew to really enjoy this unique holiday taste and believe it’s worth giving it a try, especially if lattes and bitter coffee isn’t your thing. 

• Iced Peppermint Mocha: 5/5 Snowballs

This drink went above and beyond expectations, perfecting the balance of a rich smooth dark chocolate with a cooling peppermint flavor.  This holiday-filled drink is topped with yummy chocolate shavings, delivering both the classic peppermint chocolate taste and fun texture adding up to 5/5 snowballs.  This drink at $5.95 is one of my new favorites and is worth trying out if you are a chocolate lover.

• Iced Gingerbread Latte: 4/5 Snowballs

The last winter drink that was tested is a smooth cinnamon-spiced coffee that transitions your taste buds from fall to winter.  At $5.95, it is another fan favorite as it’s not too sweet but not too saturated with coffee.  I would recommend this drink to anyone who waits to put their Christmas decorations out until after Thanksgiving, or if you’re looking for a go-to drink, but not wanting to jump right into Christmas drinks right away.

• Dark Toffee Bundt: 4/5 Snowballs

The last food item that was tasted on the Starbucks winter menu was a pleasant surprise! A moist cake filled with toffee flavors and fun red and green sprinkles was the perfect sweet treat to end this review.  For $4.25, it’s definitely not a small snack but the medium-sized bundt paired great with coffee and the toffee was not too overwhelming which made it hard to stop eating.  If you have a sweet tooth, this is something worth trying. 

Do Not Recommend

• Cran-Merry Drink: 0/5 Snowballs

Starbucks came out with new winter iced tea refreshers as well, filled with cranberry, orange, and lemon flavors.  This drink is visually appealing with its light pink creamy colors, however, its looks didn’t quite transfer into its taste. The creamy colors come from the overwhelming amount of milk added to this drink, with a hint of cranberry syrup which essentially is supposed to be its main ingredient.  For $5.45, I would not advise anyone to try this drink, but if you’re looking for a dull melted milkshake with a whisper of fruit, then give this a taste, but don’t expect a refreshing burst of cranberry. 

• Snowman Cake Pop: 4/5 Snowballs

  

A non-accidental vanilla taste can be expected from this item!  Although adorable, the delicious vanilla cake flavor and sweet icing is the exact same as most of their other cake pops at $3.45.  This treat will always be a solid choice for a quick dessert, but nothing spectacular to try this year. 

• Turkey Sage Danish: 1/5 Snowballs

A warm and savory item that is new to the Starbucks winter menu this year!  If you are looking for something to balance out sweet drinks, this might not be the best option.  The sage overpowers all of its ingredients except for the soggy turkey and lacks enjoyable flavors.  At $5.25, the Starbucks menu could definitely go without this item and instead focus on their better savory options.  

• Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino: 2/5 Snowballs

This is another peppermint drink that isn’t as worthy of trying for $5.75.  If you love Starbucks’ basic vanilla frappe, this would be the perfect drink to try for the holidays, sprinkled with a hint of white chocolate and mint.  The peppermint flavor is almost unnoticeable which ultimately adds a sour aftertaste.  For all of the peppermint fans, the Iced Peppermint Mocha is definitely the better way to go. 

Overall review

After giving all of these new Starbucks items a try, the Starbucks winter menu has a little something for everyone.  

Drinks worthy of trying: 

the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte, Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher, Iced Peppermint Mocha, and Iced Gingerbread Latte.  

Drinks you should not run to Starbucks to try:  the Cran-Merry Drink and the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino.  

Sweet treats, the Penguin Cookie and the Dark Toffee Bundt will fulfill your cravings.  The Turkey Sage Danish and the Snowman Cake Pop I wouldn’t recommend. 

 Whether you’re in the mood for something sweet, refreshing, or spiced, Starbucks’ winter menu offers it all, but not all of them will satisfy you.