This holiday season, we wanted to do something special for our review of local holiday drinks. Instead of just picking straight from the menu, we asked the baristas at Starbucks, 1418, Dutch Bros, and Summer Moon to tell us their favorite holiday drink. We tasted and rated each one based on flavor, creativity, and how well it can capture the holiday spirit. Which place do you think came out on top? Read on to find out which café’s drink truly stole the season!

Starbucks – Caramel Brûlée Latte 

Everyone: 6.5/10

We rated the Caramel Brûlée drink a 6.5 because while it was pretty good, we felt that there could have been more of a unique holiday twist instead of just caramel. There was a pretty good balance of caramel and coffee, and it wasn’t overpoweringly sweet like some of the other drinks we reviewed. It also didn’t scream holiday. I could see it as a regular drink on the menu, so it didn’t really remind us too much of the holidays.

1418 Coffe – Sweet’n Spiced Yam

Everyone: 6/10

This drink reminded us more of the fall season. It definitely had a similar taste to 1418’s Pumpkin Spice Latte they featured in their fall menu. The latte is called the ‘Sweet’n Spiced Yam,’ the first sip was sweet and it made us think back to our Thanksgiving desert – we would definitely put this in the fall category more than the holiday season. I really like the base espresso and the coffee at 1418, but this was not one of our holiday favorites.

Dutch Bros –  Peppermint Mocha

Everyone: 7/10

The ‘Peppermint Mocha’ brought more of the holiday spirit with the peppermint flakes, and winter feeling. The coffee was more on the sweeter side since it only includes one shot of espresso and is heavier on the mocha side. We said that this drink was more of an afternoon treat rather than something you would order every day. This drink is a great way to get a taste of Christmas and upcoming holidays.

Summer Moon Drink – Iced Peppermint Mocha Moon Latte

Everyone: 8/10

This drink was one of the ones that brought in the holiday cheer with peppermint flavoring. The Summer Moon’s Moon Milk and peppermint flavor went pretty well with the mocha taste. The chocolate flavor did come out a little bit more in this drink and reminded us of a hot cocoa with hints of candy cane. Summer Moon never disappoints and this drink definitely did not disappoint when it comes to getting into the holiday spirit.

Summer Moon Drink – Iced Christmas Cookie Latte 

Everyone: 9/10

We rated the first Summer Moon drink a 9/10 because it had a good balance between the coffee and sweetness flavors. The sugar cookie flavor in the drink added a good holiday twist and went all the flavors were so good combined. The presentation of the drink was really pretty and had an aesthetic theme to it which added more holiday spirit. Overall the drink definitely represented holiday vibes along and it’s something that could be a regular order as well.

Overall, hints of peppermint and gingerbread are what brought some of these holiday drinks higher up on our ratings. We enjoyed all of them, but Summer Moons collection had the most variety in flavors and options for this holiday season. All of these coffee options are great ways to circumvent the cold season. Although 1418 came at the bottom of our list, we enjoyed trying out new flavors from the local shops around Prosper and Celina, Texas.