Starbucks: Holiday Season

When the weather starts to change and the holiday season grows nearer, people quickly begin to turn towards the holiday spirit for warmth and excitement. With that, seasonal treats, beverages, and merchandise become all holiday-themed and hit stores rapidly. Starbucks, a majorly popular chain for beverages and small treats, thrives during this time of year as the newly released items on the menu, along with water bottles and cups, quickly sell out. The new beverages on the menu for this holiday season include the peppermint mocha, the peppermint mocha frappuccino, the iced and hot caramel brulee latte, the hot and iced sugar cookie latte, the gingerbread latte, and the iced chai latte. Many people wait all year for this menu of holiday-themed beverages to be released, and with that, myself included. My personal favorite beverages would be the iced sugar cookie latte and the caramel brulee latte. I love the taste of the iced coffee with that sweet twist, followed by sprinkles on top as it gives me a taste of the holidays and reminds me of the season that I wait all year for. I also love the caramel brulee latte hot, as it is a clever beverage version of the iconic treat creme brulee, which is one of my favorite desserts. The sugar crystals on top bring out the sweet flavor that ties into the sweeter coffee and make it a seasonal beverage worth waiting year round for. 

The beverages aren't the only additions to the holiday menu, as multiple treats have been added for a limited amount of time, including cinnamon pull-a-parts, polar cake pops, snowman cookies, cranberry bliss bars, and sugar plum danishes. These treats bring a twist to the traditional menu and continue to draw customers into trying new components of all that Starbucks offers. As the Starbucks merchandise has hit various locations, people have gone crazy for the viral “Bearista” cup. This is a glass cup in the shape of a bear that sold out completely the second it hit the coffee shop, even causing brawls in Starbucks as people desperately wanted to obtain this piece of holiday merchandise. As the number of bear cups was incredibly limited, and highly anticipated as they were heavily displayed on social media, they became a status symbol due to their scarcity, increasing their demand. Although the original price was $29.95, the cups have gone for up to $550 on eBay. Starbucks has also paired with Owala this Holiday season to make a green and red water bottle, which is sold atdif ferent Starbucks locations. So many varying opinions circulate surrounding the new menu and merch items, but the only real way to know whether they are worth the holiday hype is to go and try these themed beverages for yourself!!