Christmas is always at least a month early at Starbucks Coffee. This year, the 6th of November marked the start of the much-anticipated holiday season, when the Christmas beverages were reintroduced at all Starbucks branches—the delightful Peppermint Mocha and the rich Toffee Nut Latte—including a third drink, the new must-try Praline Mocha.

Starbucks-aholics are sure to remember the Peppermint Mocha and Toffee Nut Latte, especially if they’re part of the I-must-have-that-Starbucks-planner group (more on that coveted planner later). I myself am a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino fan (with extra sugar on top, please!) but I think I have a new favorite this year.

Just a little over a week ago, my partner, Shar, and I were invited to the Starbucks Pass the Cheer media launch. Not only did we get to try their new Christmas beverage, but we also got a few tips on how to really taste the coffee, with their Starbucks Christmas Blend.

One sip of the hot Praline Mocha seemed to transport me back to the good ol’ days of Noche Buena, when we’d always have a mug of rich hot chocolate, especially made for the family by my dad. The Praline Mocha is the perfect blend of espresso, steamed milk, and rich dark chocolate, with a hint of hazelnuts, topped with whipped cream, and of course, more chocolate. I guess my little bundle of joy enjoyed it as well. I was expecting him to already get back at me by kicking me in the ribs, but he seemed surprisingly calm even as I had caffeine flowing through my veins.

Perfect with these Christmas beverages are a few Christmas treats that Starbucks has especially included. Snowflakes, P950/whole, which is a light vanilla sponge cake with lemon curls, crushed walnuts, meringue, and dusted with coconut flakes, perfectly captures the elegance of the season. Their signature Chocolate Dome Cake, P950/whole, is any chocolate lover’s dream, with layers of white chocolate and chocolate mousse with bits of Belgian chocolate chips. Other pastries include the Gingerbread Boys, P65/4 pieces, Apple Strudel, P75, Holiday Slice Loaf, P55, and Shortbread Cookies, P45.

And of course, one of the most awaited every time the Christmas season peeks from around the corner. This year’s Starbucks planner is a definite must-have. It seems to be more personal and evokes a much more traditional feel. And just like in previous years, customers will also be able to “pass the cheer” by helping establish learning programs and day care centers for children in underprivileged barangays all over the country. So for all the coffee addicts, you know who you are… Take note that stickers will be distributed until January 15, 2008, while redemption of the Starbucks 2008 planner will be until March 16, 2008.

Pass the cheer, everyone!

This entry was posted on Monday, November 19th, 2007 at 6:00 am and is filed under Food and Drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.