During the cold, frosty, winter months, many look forward to the comfort offered by the Starbucks holiday menu. Starbucks’s seasonal menu is always a hit, but there is something special about the lineup this year of everything from peppermint chocolate mochas to sweet sugar cookie lattes. Cresskill Students especially appreciate the festive flavors Starbucks brings during the holiday season.

This year, Starbucks introduced several new items to its holiday menu, sparking excitement among the students of Cresskill High School. They released a new drink, the Cran-Merry drink and the orange lemonade version the orange refresher, and new cold foams Gingerbread Cream, Peppermint Chocolate, Sugar Cookie, Chestnut Praline, and Caramel Brulee. Along with these new additions to the drink menu, they have also added a great number of new foods- a Turkey Sage Danish, Snowman Cake Pop, Penguin Cookie, and a Dark Toffee Bundt.

I asked Cresskill students about how they felt about the Starbucks menu and if they looked forward to the holiday menu. Freshman Isabella Bross said, “Yes my favorite season is winter and it always has been one of my favorite parts of the season to see the Starbucks holiday menu. I actually like it over the summer and fall drinks because those are redundant but a sugar cookie latte is always needed.” The fall menu may be popular, but the holiday items have more variety and enjoyable snacks and foods, leading many to prefer the winter menu over the other seasons. Another freshman Maya Pisano agreed with Isabella Bross, saying, “… unpopular opinion, I think that the sugar cookie oat milk latte is better than the pumpkin chai.” The pumpkin chai latte is an autumn favorite – this drink is often the sole reason others prefer the autumn menu – however, the winter drinks on the holiday menu are just as good by having more variety in items as well as having great flavors.

I asked a freshman at Cresskill, Gaby Ahn, what new item she liked the most from the Starbucks holiday menu, and she replied, “I also really liked the refresher that they had, the cranberry one it was really really really good.” The Cran-Merry drink seemed to be a great drink, according to Gaby Ahn, but there is a variety of opinions on this drink. When I had asked another freshman Isabella Bross about her least favorite item from the menu, s

he said, “The cranberry refresher I had it one morning for breakfast and I don’t think I’ve ever been so disgusted with a drink in my life. It tasted super bitter and super weird and it was not good at all.” In other words, some strongly enjoy it while others find it utterly vile.. 

With the holiday season in full swing, many students have already figured out the items from the holiday menu that they could not live without – and those they could do without. Freshman Gaby Ahn said, “My favorite snack that came out most recently is the Sugar Pl

um Danish. I thought it was so fun and I usually don’t like danishes but I liked the jelly it put in the middle.” The snacks from the holiday menu allowed a chance for customers to try out new snacks that they would not have tried before, expanding their taste palettes and opening them to new foods. However, a winter classic – the sugar cookie latte – had gained differing opinions. Many love this drink, finding themselves enamored with the sweet flavors, but as Isabella Bross said, “My favorite drink is the iced sugar cookie latte but you have to make sure they mix the sugar in the right way or it tastes disgusting and then on top of the sugar cookie latte I get the sweet vanilla cold foam and sprinkles to get that festive vibe.” 

This was confirmed byGaby Ahn who said, “I hated the sugar cookie latte thing. It was horrible, it was watery and it gave me a stomach ache after and I had high hopes and it brought me back down to earth because it was nasty.” This drink has gathered a series of diverse opinions, with some looking forward to the winter seasons, especially for the sugar cookie latte, while others make sure to steer clear.

In all, the Starbucks Holiday Menu is a hit. Although there are mixed reviews on the several selections of foods and drinks, there is an item on the menu for everyone. Some may like the classic peppermint mocha while others lean towards the Cran-merry drink, proving that the menu has something to suit every taste.