By ChinRes 
Assuming you haven’t indulged in at least one $6 latte from Starbucks while window shopping, can you really say that the Christmas season has arrived? In the event that you are in a state of panic when shopping for gifts on your approach to a party, you may ask your mother about the things that your preteen cousin genuinely appreciates. Beginning on November 7 inside the United States, customers will be able to purchase the winter holiday menu for 2024 at Starbucks.
Depending on how enthusiastic you are about trying new beverages, the fact that a lot of products from prior years are being brought back is either a good thing or a terrible thing. It goes without saying that we all want our favorite to be brought back, but it might be a little bit of a letdown when you see a beverage or dessert that you previously did not like being brought back year after year.
The Daily Meal was provided with an early view of the new dishes on the menu, and we conducted a taste test to determine which ones are worth tasting and which ones we would recommend you avoid. We were a little disappointed, but there are no spoilers.
Starbucks is planning to bring back the festive holiday menu items for the year 2024
These festive Starbucks beverages have been selected for 2024: the Peppermint Mocha, the Caramel Brulée Latte, the Walnut Praline Latte, the Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai, and the Iced Candy Cookie Almondmilk Latte. All of these beverages are popular throughout the holiday season. It goes without saying that you can have any of these beverages served hot, iced, or as a Frappuccino.
There are just two food products that will be returning to Starbucks throughout the holiday season. These are the Sugar Plum Cheese Danish and the Cranberry Bliss Bar, both of which are quite popular.
In addition, seasonal cold foams have been brought back to the menu, catering to customers who like the holiday lattes but do not want to indulge in the entire sweet process. The following four tastes are reminiscent of previous winters: Caramel Brulée Cream Cold Foam, Hazelnut Praline Cream Cold Foam, Sugar Cookie Cream Cold Foam, and Peppermint Cocoa Cream Cold Foam. You may anticipate seeing all of these flavors.
The three new beverages are quite similar to one another
A cranberry Refresher is the sole beverage that is genuinely being introduced to the holiday menu at Starbucks in 2024. (By providing three separate iterations of the beverage, the company admittedly engaged in some laxity.) The base liquid, which might be water, lemonade, or coconut milk, determines the flavor possibilities that are available. Green coffee extract is the source of the 55 milligrams of caffeine that are included in each and every one of them.
A Grande of the water-based beverage, which is referred to as the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher, can be purchased for between $5.25 and $5.95 and has a total of 100 calories. Although it is a pleasant small cranberry drink, there is nothing absolutely exceptional about it. The taste is sweet without being overpowering, even if it is sweet.
Lemonade serves as the foundation for the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher, which is not surprising considering the name of the beverage. It’s possible that this one is my favorite; the lemon provides a pleasant counterpoint to the sweetness of the simple Refresher without going too far in the other direction. There are 140 calories in this beverage, which can be purchased for between $5.75 and $6.45 for a Grande size.
The Cran-Merry Drink is the one that I dislike the most out of all of them. Although the price is the same as that of the Lemonade Refresher, the foundation of coconut milk does not combine well with the other components of the beverage. Despite the fact that the addition of coconut taste was rather good in a “wish you were here” tropical vacation kind of sense, I find the drink to be too sugary, and it reminds me of yogurt that may be consumed. The coconut milk separates and takes on a gritty appearance, which produces an appearance that is not very pleasing to the eye.
In the menu, the Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam is a daring addition that stands out
For all intents and purposes, the Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam has been available since September 19th, despite the fact that it is being marketed as being brand new. The cold foam was a part of the special release that took place in the autumn of 2024, and it was featured with the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte. Now that we’ve finally gotten that little complaint out of the way, let’s move on to the actual beverage.
A surprising amount of saltiness can be found in the Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam, but it is a saltiness that is wonderful. When I take the taste of the cool foam by itself, I am reminded of praline. After I had recovered from the first shock that I felt at the intensity, I continued to return for more.
I can see how the intensity of the taste would turn off some individuals, but the nutty, salty-sweet cold foam is the ideal complement to the robust, black cold brew. Considering that I am the kind of person who always adds an additional shot of espresso to her holiday Starbucks beverages, this combination is ideal for me.
The Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam offered by Starbucks is pleasantly understated
Gingerbread Cream Cold Foam from Starbucks is a taste that is substantially less intense than the Salted Pecan flavor. It is topped with pumpkin pie spices. The flavor is so mild that the only word that comes to mind when describing it is “gingerbread,” yet there is no other way to describe it. In addition, this is a wonderful complement to the cold brew, and it would be an excellent option for those individuals who find the more traditional Christmas lattes to be excessive.
The taste is so predictable that it is the only thing I have a problem with. Considering that Starbucks has previously offered a Gingerbread Latte as part of its Christmas menu, I find myself wondering why the company does not just bring back that beverage. The icy foams, for some reason, give the impression of being a substitute for a real new item on the menu.
The two new cold foams that have been added to the Starbucks menu are both really enjoyable and are excellent additions. On top of that, they complement one another extremely well, providing alternatives for those who are looking for a taste that is robust and festive or something that has a sense of Christmas glitter.
Even though it’s adorable, Starbucks’ Snowman Cake Pop isn’t anything new
It is not surprising that the snowman cake pop is adorable. Coffee shops like Starbucks have cake pops down to a science, and they stop making them right before they get too sugary.
The inside of our icy companion is made out of buttercream and vanilla cake, and it is covered in white chocolate. This results in a satisfying crack when you bite into the core, which is soft and nearly gooey by nature. A lot of cake pops end out with a dry inside, but these are just the right amount of moist. The Snowman Cake Pop is really sweet, but in a manner that has the effect of making me feel a little bit nostalgic rather than queasy.
There are 170 calories in the snowman cake pop, which can be purchased for between $3.25 and $4.25 as a snack. Unless you have a severe aversion to sweets, you should consider purchasing this.