Fall flavors are out and winter holiday flavors are in. Whether it is peppermint, gingerbread, or sugar cookie, Starbucks and Dunkin’ are celebrating the holiday spirit with their new seasonal menus. Over the past few weeks, I have ventured out to the local Starbucks and Dunkin’ to try some of these drinks. The big question is which drink is better and which coffee chain does it best?
As a disclaimer, I tried these drinks as is, which means that some of the drinks had non-dairy milk and/or tree nuts. As it says on their websites and apps, they cannot guarantee that its unpackaged products, such as its drinks, are allergen-free. The allergen lists can be found on their respective websites and are hyperlinked to the names of the drinks below.
At Dunkin’, the drinks I tried were the Toasted White Chocolate Iced Signature Latte, the Brown Sugar Cookie Frozen Coffee, the Peppermint Mocha Iced Signature Latte, the Cookie Butter Cold Brew, and the Spiced Cookie Iced Coffee.
The Toasted White Chocolate Iced Signature Latte was my personal favorite from Dunkin’. It tasted like coffee ice cream and had a vanilla taste to it. The drink is good for someone who likes sweet coffee but isn’t overly sugary. At first glance and sip, with the coffee’s light color, the caramel drizzle and the cinnamon dusted on top is not what you would initially think of when you think of a holiday drink, but it is still very good and worth the purchase.
The Brown Sugar Cookie Frozen Coffee sounded good on paper, but was not what it proved to be. I thought that it was a little too sweet. It tastes like what the sugar cookie Yankee Candle would taste like if it were a drink. That could be a good or a bad thing, depending on whether or not you like that kind of sugary coffee.
The Peppermint Mocha Iced Signature Latte was overall a good drink, but not my favorite one. It had a refreshing peppermint flavor that wasn’t too overpowering and a nice chocolate taste that balanced it out. If you’re looking for that “traditional” holiday flavor, the Peppermint Mocha Iced Signature Latte would be my suggestion.
After that, I tried the Cookie Butter Cold Brew. My initial impression was that it was good, but that proved to be incorrect. The cookie butter foam and the cookie topping were a nice mix as a first sip, but that was the only plus side of this drink. The coffee itself was bitter and was only slightly more tolerable when mixing the foam in. Even so, the topping sank to the bottom and got soggy, which then made the drink even more unappetizing than it already was.
The last holiday drink I tried at Dunkin’ was the Spiced Cookie Iced Coffee. It was quite honestly one of the worst coffees I’ve ever had. It tasted good until the second sip. It had a chemical-like taste that lasted for hours in my mouth after drinking it as well as being incredibly watery. I’m not sure if it was because of the oat milk, which it traditionally comes with, or because it was a small, but it was awful. I had to throw it out after only a few sips.
Out of 10, I rated each of the drinks from Dunkin as follows: The Toasted White Chocolate Iced Signature Latte a 10/10; The Peppermint Mocha Iced Signature Latte a 7.5/10; The Brown Sugar Cookie Frozen Coffee a 5.5/10; The Cookie Butter Cold Brew a 3.5/10; The Spiced Cookie Iced Coffee a 1.5/10.
Overall, the best drink from Dunkin’ was the Toasted White Chocolate Iced Signature Latte.
At Starbucks, I tried the Caramel Brulee Frappuccino Blended Beverage, the White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino Blended Beverage, the Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino, the Chestnut Praline Frappuccino Blended Beverage, the Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte, and the Gingerbread Latte.
The first holiday drink I tried from Starbucks was the Caramel Brulee Frappuccino. I thought it had a good amount of sweetness and caramel taste without being so overpowering. Though Starbucks in general is more expensive than Dunkin’, the drink is fancier in a way, which can be seen and tasted through the quality of the drinks.
I then tried the White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino. I was not fond of this one very much. It had an overwhelming coffee taste without any of the sweetness that the Dunkin’ version had. It was very mediocre and the only thing good about it was the whipped cream on top.
I then tried the Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks. I thought it had a nice peppermint flavor that mixed well with the richness of the drink. The peppermint was refreshing and had more of a chocolate flavor than Dunkin’s. The difference between the richness of the drinks might be because one had ice and one didn’t.
After that, I tried the Chestnut Praline Frappuccino. Initially, the smell of the drink drew me in; it was a mix between cookies baking and a nutty essence. When I took a sip, it was creamy and sweet. I could taste the coffee brewed in it just enough for it to be enjoyable, but not overpowering to the flavor of the rest of the drink. The best part of the drink was the sprinkled caramelized chestnuts and spiced praline crumbs on top of the whipped cream, which gave off the taste of a cinnamon-like spice with a hint of apple.
Next was the Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte. I thought it was pretty good overall. It had a nice, nutty flavor, which I suspect is from the almond milk, which I had never tried before until then. It wasn’t overly sweet, unlike other drinks that I had tried.
The last drink I tried was the Gingerbread Latte. The gingerbread flavor was present and had a nice amount of that classic gingerbread spice to it. I would have enjoyed it more if there was a bit more of the gingerbread flavoring in it.
Out of 10, I rated each of the drinks from Starbucks as follows: The Caramel Brulee Frappuccino Blended Beverage a 8.5/10; The Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino a 8/10; The Chestnut Praline Frappuccino Blended Beverage a 7.5/10; The Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte a 6.5/10; The Gingerbread Latte a 6/10.
Overall, the best drink from Starbucks was the Caramel Brulee Frappuccino Blended Beverage.
From both stores, the best drink was the Toasted White Chocolate Iced Signature Latte from Dunkin’. The creamy, coffee ice cream flavor put it above all the others. It will definitely be my first choice whenever I go on a coffee run while it is available. Whether you like Starbucks or Dunkin’, they both have amazing holiday drinks that anyone can enjoy this holiday season.
