With a new cake and hot apple cider joining the festivities, this is shaping up to be a delicious holiday season.

After revealing its first round of Christmas drinks before Halloween was even over, Starbucks is back again with the grand unveiling of its second round of festive drinks, and these look even tastier than the first.

Whereas the initial drinks combined the chain’s Joyful Medley tea blend with strawberries, the latest release shifts the focus to chocolate and marshmallows for a richer, more unctuous flavour. This combination of chocolate and marshmallows conjures up thoughts of bonfires and toasty treats, and that’s exactly what these new drinks offer, as they’re called the S’mores Chocolate Latte and the S’mores Chocolate Frappuccino.

The latte (pictured on the left in the image above) combines bitter chocolate sauce with the flavour of salted caramel, an espresso shot, and carefully steamed milk. The topping contains tiny marshmallows and crunchy whole wheat pieces, the two main components of s’mores, and finishes it all off with a sprinkling of brulee sugar for added sweetness. The fragrant aromas are said to gently spread through the palate, while the marshmallows gradually melt in the warmth of the latte, allowing you to enjoy the changing texture and flavour as you sip your way through the drink.

The S’mores Chocolate Frappuccino is a deep, flavourful drink that combines an espresso shot with chocolate sauce, creating a fragrant yet deliciously bitter taste. It’s also topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, whole wheat pieces and brûlée sugar, but comes with the addition of a special chocolatey “s’mores sauce” for added richness. The variation in textures between the fluffy marshmallows and crunchy wheat pieces is said to be one of the highlights of this drink, in addition to the chocolatey coffee flavours.

According to Starbucks, both drinks are said to represent a slightly more grown-up version of s’mores that’s perfect for the holiday season, and they’re said to pair well with the new Strawberry & Chocolate Tart (also pictured above) that’s set to be released on the same day.

As if that wasn’t enough of a Christmas present for us, Starbucks has also announced it will be releasing yet another new beverage, and this one is called Hot Apple Cider.

A staple at many Christmas markets in Japan, hot apple cider is becoming synonymous with local festive celebrations, and this one combines apple juice with the flavours of cinnamon, cloves, and orange, topped with freeze-dried apple, strawberry and cranberry pieces. Said to be “a simple yet sophisticated version” of the holiday drink, each cup of Hot Apple Cider is carefully steamed by a barista, and the tantalising, spicy flavours are designed to warm your body and soul from the very first sip.

All the items above are set to be released on 26 November, with the Frappuccino sold in a Tall size only, priced at 678 yen (US$4.36) for takeout and 690 yen for dine-in. The Latte and the Hot Apple Cider will be available in Short through to Venti Sizes, priced from 570-710 yen and 550-690 yen respectively. As for the tart, it will be on the menu at 570 yen for takeout and 580 yen for dine-in.

That’s a lot of festive selections to choose from, and you can bet we’ll be trying them all for you as soon as they’re released, right after we finish sipping on our truffle Soupuccino.

Source, images: Press release
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