Ashlyn Wong

Starbucks displays their Thanksgiving coffee blend as well as some holiday snacks on their front counter. In addition to new drinks, Starbucks also added new food items, like the penguin cookie. “I think that the penguin design conveys the idea of holidays and allows consumers to be excited about participating in the holiday spirit,” said Dakota Chang, a Carlmont sophomore.

The Starbucks holiday menu was released nationwide on Nov. 7, with people across the country excited to try old favorites and brand-new additions to the menu.

Earlier this month, Starbucks began selling its highly anticipated seasonal menu, which included drinks like the classic Peppermint Mocha and the new Cran-Merry Orange Refresher. The holidays often incite feelings of warmness and appreciation for community. Like other restaurant chains, Starbucks aims to capture this feeling and sell it to customers through drinks and food.

“I think the flavors that perfectly embody the holidays are gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies,” said Reagan Simon, a Carlmont freshman.

Old Favorites

Starbucks kept many of its classic drinks available on past holiday menus, including the Iced Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai that was introduced last year, as well as the Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte, and the fan favorite Peppermint Mocha.

“The Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai is amazing, and the Peppermint Mocha is a great second option. I want to have these drinks all year round,” said Katie Batts, a Carlmont sophomore.

New Additions

Three new drinks were added to the menu this holiday season, all with the same Cran-Merry (cranberry) base. The drinks included the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher, the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher, and the Cran-Merry Drink, which adds coconut milk and cranberries into the refresher. 

“I don’t like cranberry drinks or cranberry at all, but I think the drinks are perfect for the season and fit in aesthetically,” said Noelle Manitsas, a freshman at Aragon High School.

Crowded Stores

Roman Carlson, a Starbucks employee at the Carlmont Village Shopping Center, has to deal with the influx of students from Carlmont High School every day, both before and after school. With the introduction of the Christmas menu, Starbucks locations across the nation are filling up with customers.

“At the start of the season, we get a lot more people than usual. For example, on the morning of the seventh, we had a historic 110 people in 30 minutes, so it could have been close to 200 drinks,” Carlson said.

Comparison and Prices

The holiday menu is a fan favorite of the seasonal menus offered by Starbucks.

“I’m not a big fan of pumpkin, but the fall menu has the Pecan Oat Milk Crunch, which is good. All of the items on the winter menu are good, but the pecan drink is exceptional, so the two menus even out,” Batts said.

Starbucks uses the holiday menu to gain profit, as businesses do. However, some believe the drinks are overpriced, according to CNN Business. The prices have been rising steadily over the past few years, although according to Starbucks’ claims, they will fix prices in the future.

“I love Starbucks and all the seasonal drinks and the options, but I think the price is very high for what it is,“ Manitsas said.

Overall, the prices are a small barrier for those pursuing the warm and cozy feeling of the holiday season through their favorite Starbucks drinks.

“For me, mocha is the most nostalgic flavor of the holiday season,“ Carlson said.