‘I attempted Costa Coffee’s new Christmas menu – however is it a festive cracker?’
EXCLUSIVE: Always first out of the gate when it comes to food, the Daily Star’s Adam Cailler took a trip to his local Costa Coffee to try out the new Christmas range
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – for coffee lovers. Costa Coffee has debuted its new Christmas menu, and we got to try it on its first weekend out in public.
And rather than doing what most do, which is whip out last year’s favourites and give them a new name, Costa Coffee has bucked the trend and introduced some bold new flavours.
The new range includes the usual favourites of Mint Hot Chocolate, Terry’s Chocolate Orange Hot Chocolate and the Black Forest Hot Chocolate, and the Caramel Nutcracker Range, available as a Hot Chocolate, Latte, and Iced Latte, along with the classic Gingerbread Latte
But it also includes a Butter Pecan Cookie Latte – a newbie to the Costa clan.
For foodies, there’s the return of the Turkey & Trimmings Toastie, Pigs & Blankets Toastie, Brie & Cranberry Toastie, Turkey Feast Sandwich, and the Brie, Bacon & Cranberry Panini.
And alongside those is the epic-looking Dubai Style Pistachio Tiffin (from November 6) and the Caramel Nutcracker Cookie Sandwich, as well as the Festive Spice Muffin and the Berry Red Velvet Mini Loaf, Chocolate & Caramel Nutcracker Cake, Gingernut Loaf Cake and Festive Bakewell Tart.
So with that out of the way, we tried the new Butter Pecan Cookie Latte alongside the sandwich cookie, and the old favourites of the Gingerbread Latte and the Berry Red Velvet Mini Loaf.
We (and by we, I mean my wife and I) didn’t try the savoury food as it was 9.45am and yeah . . . coffee. Anywho, Costa bosses have hit a goldmine with the new Butter Pecan Cookie Latte. It’s smooth, silky, full of flavour, and definitely screams Christmas.
It has an overriding cookie flavour with a subtle nut hint, and I hope this becomes a regular because it’s real winner.
The accompanying sandwich cookie is also a winner, although that one seems to taste more of caramel than nutcracker, which is not a bad thing at all.
It’s also far more moist than the previous sandwich cookies Costa has rolled out in recent months, which is either a welcome recipe change or some kind of happy accident.
The gingerbread latte does what it says on the tin, and I’m glad to see that return as it’s a solid choice of drink for anyone wanting to get in the wintery mood.
And now for my favourite of the bunch, the Berry Red Velvet Mini Loaf – which really surprised me.
I am not a fruit fan, but this was just so good. Perfectly tart, moist, smooth, flavourful and with the perfect amount of whatever the berry mixture is.
It really was the standout product from the range we tried, and one we’ll both go back to. The food is very much the same as last year’s offering, with the Brie and Cranberry toastie always a winner if you fancy some festive lunch.
I can’t, however, wait for the Dubai Pistachio offering to come in store . . . which will definitely have a review all on its own.
Costa, you’ve definitely cracked it with this year’s Christmas offerings.
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