Tasting The Coffee Bean's 2013 Holiday Menu

Back Left to Right: Red Velvet Cocoa, Winter Dream Latte, Peppermint Mocha Latte, Toffee Nut Latte;
Front: Toffee Nut Ice Blended

I recently was given opportunity to try out all the beverages in The Coffee Bean's 2013 Holiday Menu courtesy of The Coffee Bean.

The drinks I sampled were the Toffee Nut Latte, the Toffee Nut Ice Blended, the Red Velvet Cocoa, Peppermint Mocha Latte, and the Winter Dream Latte. I rank them in order of my preference below (from least to best) and include some thoughts.

Left to Right: Winter Dream Latte, Peppermint Mocha Latte, Toffee Nut Latte

5. Peppermint Mocha Latte - It's made with either vanilla, dark chocolate, or white chocolate powder (I had the dark chocolate version), espresso, steamed milk, and peppermint sauce. I liked that it wasn't that sweet but I wanted more peppermint and what I got didn't quite hit the right notes. The chocolate was a little light but I could actually taste the coffee.

4. Winter Dream Latte - It features a blend of black tea, rooibos, and sweet spices mixed with vanilla powder and steamed milk. It's like a spicier Chai Tea Latte with a taste that's more off the beaten path. It's like Chai mixed with Earl Grey except I'm not a huge fan of Earl Grey.

3. Toffee Nut Latte - A blend of espresso, steamed milk, vanilla powder, toffee nut sauce, and toffee pieces. I really liked the toffee nut sauce; it provided a good balance between caramel and nutty notes.

2. Red Velvet Cocoa - A mix of red velvet powder and steamed milk. There's a nice top note of cream cheese and chocolate that hits right away so there's no mistaking it as anything but red velvet. It then dissolves into creamy sweet milk with a touch of cocoa.

1. Toffee Nut Ice Blended - It consists of espresso, vanilla powder, toffee nut sauce, and milk, blended with ice and topped with whipped cream and toffee pieces. I could drink this one all day. Maybe it's the temperature, but the toffee nut flavor seemed stronger and fuller than in the hot latte version leaving a deliciously creamy drink that reminded me a little of butter pecan ice cream.

As you can see, there's quite a bit of variety to The Coffee Bean's holiday menu this year. With a fair number of different tastes to choose from, it's a safe bet that everyone can find something to match their palate.