THE temperature outside has well and truly dropped, which means its time for one thing – festive hot drinks.
All the major chains including Starbucks and Costa release their Christmas menu at this time each year.
Every year they battle it out for the most popular festive drinks, introducing new flavours and bringing back familiar favourites.
The Christmas menus tend to stick around for a couple of months at most before they're replaced.
Each chain dropped their offering last week and I was keen to give them a go.
I decided to put the drinks to the test, choosing two from each brand's menu to try.
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To keep things fair and as similar as possible, I chose a latte and a hot chocolate option from each.
I tried to pick all-new drinks and others which have been on the menu before but I hadn't tasted.
All the drinks are available at the moment nationwide and you can find your nearest branch of each chain using the locator tools on their websites.
Here's what I thought of the festive hot drinks, I gave each a rating out of five on taste.
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McDonald's
- Galaxy Caramel Latte – 1/5
- Galaxy Caramel Hot Chocolate – 2/5
10
10Up first was the McDonald's McCafe drinks.
There are two on offer this winter a latte and a hot chocolate, both with Galaxy chocolate.
I tried the Galaxy Caramel Latte first and on the first sip I found it pretty bland.
It's a regular Maccies latte blended with Galaxy caramel syrup, topped with caramel cream and chocolate stars.
There were hints of Galaxy but not masses of flavour, and virtually no caramel taste at all.
It tasted largely of weak coffee and could have benefitted from a bit more sweetness.
A regular costs £2.69 and a large will set you back £3.29.
Next up was the Galaxy Caramel Hot Chocolate which was definitely not lacking in sweetness.
This came mainly from the strong caramel flavour, again, there wasn't much taste of the iconic chocolate bar.
The drink has the Galaxy's caramel syrup mixed through a Maccies hot chocolate and topped with the caramel cream and chocolate stars.
It was a fairly decent size, the tallest of all the drinks I tried and was enjoyable but I'd have liked more of a Galaxy flavour.
The hot choc is £2.19 and comes in just one size.
The drinks launched on November 1, and are here for the long run, they'll be coming off the menu on February 6, 2024.
Last year the fast-food chain brought out its Caramel Waffle Latte for the first time, and brought back its Hot Chocolate Deluxe.
Starbucks
- Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate – 3/5
- Caramel Waffle Latte – 2.5/5
The second lot of drinks I tried were from Starbucks which is known for its popular festive treats.
This year the chain introduced just one new drink, the Hazelnut Crunch Hot Chocolate.
Each of the other items have been seen on the menu before, so I chose the Caramel Waffle Latte which I missed out on last year.
I tried the chocolate drink first and was instantly intrigued by the smell which reminded me of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.
It tasted pretty similar to them too, with a really strong nutty flavour.
It's made with cocoa powder, steamed creamy milk, finished with a chocolate cream and crunchy chocolate hazelnut topping.
It wasn't hugely sweet, which I had expected it to be.
Prices for the hot chocolate start at £4.25 for a tall size.
The Caramel Waffle Latte did exactly what it says on the tin, it tasted and smelt just like Stroop Waffles.
It's essentially a latte with a waffle sauce, it is topped with caramel whipped cream and a spiced caramel waffle crunch topping.
It was massively sweet though and I'm not sure I'd even be able to finish a whole cup.
As someone who likes her coffee, I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have much of a coffee taste at all – it was more like a warm caramel drink.
The latte will set you back upwards of £4.30.
It's the third time the waffle-flavoured drink has hit Starbucks menus in recent years, while 2022 also saw the introduction of the Praline Cookie Hot Chocolate.
Costa
- Sticky Toffee Latte – 2.5/5
- Roasted Hazel Hot Chocolate – 4/5
Costa is treating its customers to several new drinks this festive season.
I opted to give the Sticky Toffee Latte and the Roasted Hazelnut Hot Chocolate a go.
I went in with high hopes that the latte could be this year's replacement for my favourite Gingerbread latte from Costa.
It wasn't quite as I expected, I didn't feel it tasted much of sticky toffee pudding, more a generic caramel sweetness.
The drink had a much stronger taste of coffee than the Starbucks offering, which mixed well with the flavours.
Overall I found it to be tasty but not quite as nice as I'd hoped it would be.
At the opposite end of the scale, I did not expect much from the hot chocolate as I rarely go for the beverage at Costa.
I was happy to be proved wrong though, the hazelnutty drink tasted just like Nutella in a cup.
The winter warmer is filled with roasted hazelnut syrup and topped with cream and mini gold stars.
It was sweeter than Starbucks' similar drink but with a more subtle nutty taste, while still flavourful.
That being said, I wouldn't be able to have a large one as it did get a bit sickly after a while.
Prices for both the sticky toffee and roasted hazel drinks start from £3.95.
Last year fans were overjoyed when Costa brought out a Toblerone latte for Christmas.
Caffe Nero
- Panettone Latte – 2/5
- Millionaires Hot Chocolate – 1.5/5
The Caffe Nero winter menu offers a total of five new items this year.
Among the stars of this year's offering are the Panettone Latte and the Millionaire's Hot Chocolate.
I had heard good things about the new latte so was intrigued to give it a go.
It's said to be inspired by the classic Milanese Christmas cake, panettone, with sweet bakery flavours, mixed with coffee, and finished off with a citrusy zest.
It definitely does taste similar to the flavours of a pannetone cake -sweet but with a slight lemony taste too.
I found it was lacking a bit in coffee, and the overall taste was a bit burnt – though it did grow on me with each sip.
Next up was the Millionaire's Hot Chocolate, which I had been really looking forward to trying.
As soon as I took the lid off I was hit with a sickly sweet smell of caramel, which made me a little apprehensive.
Turns out I was right, the drink is extremely sweet, thanks to the double dose of caramel mixed with hot chocolate.
It combines a rich caramel syrup, topped with a chocolate cream and hefty drizzle of caramel sauce – a bit overkill.
The hot drink would be perfect for those with a sweet tooth, but for me a few sips was enough.
Both drinks are available at Caffe Nero for around £4.30.
Last year's Caffe Nero menu saw the intorduction of the Cinnamon Swirl Latte and the Luxury Black Forest Mocha.
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Meanwhile, Greggs has unveiled its highly anticipated festive menu including the return of the Festive Bake and an all new muffin.
And, Wetherspoons has revealed its full Christmas menu and there's a host of fan favourites returning to menus.
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