I’m normally a sucker for the Starbucks drink! The annual Pumpkin Spice latte sets the bar pretty high, and I always expect amazing things from their Christmas range. However, when compared to some of the others on the market, the Starbucks Gingerbread does just not compare. Not only is the flavour pretty bland, but the coffee itself just does not taste as smooth. While I am someone who loves the taste of ginger, I am not too keen on its texture. The last mouthful of this Starbucks festive beverage contains huge lumps of ginger, and this just isn’t to my taste. However, I am a sucker for the Starbucks festive cups!
Now, I don’t quite understand why this is considered a ‘festive’ special! I went into Caffe Nero in March (just before the lockdown) and grabbed myself a salted caramel hot chocolate – so surely they could use the same syrup in their coffee all year round? However, that’s not the point, and the Salted Caramel latte is pretty good. Not only is Nero’s coffee super smooth, the ratio of syrup to coffee is pretty good; the taste of the coffee doesn’t fully disappear, yet you can taste the flavour of the syrup. I am quite disappointed with the festive cups from Caffe Nero this year, though.
The first place beverage of 2020 has to be awarded to the artistic creation that is the Costa Gingerbread Latte. Now, first of all, the festive Costa mugs are super sweet this year! The coffee used at Costa is smooth, and the Gingerbread flavoured syrup is velvety and doesn’t have a sickly after taste. Unlike the Starbucks version, there are no ginger bits in bottom of the drink! Something that I really love about this festive drink is the little gingerbread man that comes on top of your whipped cream! I think this adds such a cute touch and makes a commonly done drink a lot more unique.
