With Christmas just around the corner, everyone is starting to get into the festive spirit. As the weather starts to get a little cooler people are turning to coffee shops for their winter fix while out and about. I went out onto our highstreet and tried some festive themed drinks from three of the biggest coffee chains.
My first stop on this taste test was Costa for one of their Christmas hot chocolates. Being a big fan of chocolate orange, I just had to try their Terry’s Chocolate Orange hot chocolate. With a lovely thick layer of cream and a complimentary chocolate, the drink looked great. In the first sip you can taste the strong orange flavour followed by a chocolatey aftertaste.
The drink wasn’t too sweet which made it even more perfect for everyone to drink in the run up to Christmas. At a price of £4.20 for a medium hot chocolate it is on the dearer side but it’s still a great treat on a winter's day with only 327 kcal in a medium cup.
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The next coffee shop to be visited was Pret A Manager for one of their Gingerbread Lattes. I’ve never tried a gingerbread in a latte before but I do love a Gingerbread Man.
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Personally this was my least favourite drink of the three. I expected a stronger gingerbread flavouring but it just wasn't breaking through the strong coffee. It also wasn’t very sweet, which is reflected by the number of calories in one cup - just 328 kcal in a medium cup - so if you like a sweeter coffee maybe add some sugar.
While it wasn’t my favourite, the price seemed reasonable and not too expensive. With a cost of £3.55 for a regular this was the cheapest of the three drinks I tried.
Finally, I went to Starbucks to give one of their many festive drinks a try. As a big lover of the drinks at Starbucks it was a difficult decision of what to choose but I decided to try their Caramel Waffle Frappuccino with a coffee base.
I found that while I love the drinks they make, this frappuccino was not at the top of my Starbucks list. The coffee base was hidden by the very sweet flavour - way too sweet for my tastebuds. With 335 kcal in a medium cup, this was the most calorific drink I tried. There was a lovely cinnamon flavouring towards the end but the sweetness was just too overbearing for me to really enjoy the drink.
This drink would be perfect for those who want their coffee fix without the coffee being too strong. However, costing £4.75 for a medium this is definitely not the cheapest coffee going.
At the end of my taste test I have to say I was surprised. Despite being a big lover of coffee, my favourite of the three wasn’t a coffee, it was the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate from Costa. This drink just symbolises Christmas and I would recommend you go try it.
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