Warm up this season with holiday drinks

Chandal Geerdes/Staff Writer

The holiday season is finally here, along with snow and frigid temperatures. This means lots of hot chocolate and coffee to consume. Some of your favorite places to go may be Panera, Starbucks, The Cup of Joe or even Scratch. These coffee joints are now offering many warm and comforting flavors for you to try.

Panera in both Waterloo and Cedar Falls have a few flavors that are sure to please your taste buds. Right now they are featuring their Peppermint Mocha and Peppermint Hot Chocolate, both made with premium chocolate and peppermint, steamed with milk, and topped with whipped cream.

To go along with these drinks make sure you buy one of their delicious bakery treats. Their new French Toast made with a special french toast bagel topped with a freshly cooked egg, sharp Cheddar cheese and all-natural sausage is the perfect way to start your day.

If you would rather go a bit lighter, try their holiday Panettone. Panettone is a bread filled with cranberries, walnuts and candied orange peel, and topped with powdered sugar. And don’t forget their Holiday Bread, baked with with fruit and chocolate, drizzled with icing. These treats are only available until Dec. 24.

Starbucks in both Waterloo and Cedar Falls have a wide variety of holiday flavors for you to try out this season as well. Like Panera, Starbucks also has a Peppermint Mocha made with peppermint flavored syrup, bittersweet chocolate, espresso and steamed milk, and topped with classic whipped cream and dark chocolate curls, making it Starbucks’ most popular holiday drink.

The oldest Starbucks holiday drink is the Eggnog Latte. It hasn’t been changed since it was introduced 25 years ago.

Celebrating its 11th anniversary is the Gingerbread Latte, made with gingerbread spices, espresso and milk topped with sweetened whipped cream and ground nutmeg. You can also enjoy it without coffee as a Gingerbread Creme.

Starbucks’ latest holiday drink is the Caramel Brulée Latte. A tasty combination of freshly brewed espresso and steamed milk, flavored with buttery-rich caramel Brulée sauce is sure to warm you up.

Starbucks also has many other flavorful drinks. Some being White Peppermint Mocha, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Apple Spice, and Peppermint Hot Chocolate.

Scratch, in downtown Cedar Falls, is a well know place for their delicious and oh so sweet cupcakes. They also have seasonal drinks to enjoy with their holiday cupcakes.
Their drinks include Holiday Delight coffee, and a Pumpkin Spice frozen blend and steamer.

Some cupcake choices include Peppermint-stick, Gingerbread, Chai Latte, and Cinnamon Cake. Peppermint-stick cupcakes are made with white or chocolate cake and peppermint butter-creme frosting; the others are topped with vanilla butter-creme. All of these cupcakes are sure to hit the spot this holiday season.

Also downtown, Cup of Joe has a wide range of holiday drinks for all to enjoy. Peppermint Patty Mocha has the perfect blend of chocolate and peppermint. Snowflake Breve has a mix of chocolate and white coconut sure to please. Cafe Miel Latte has a unique sweet and spicy blend of honey and cinnamon. Lastly, the Eggnog Latte is a wonderful blend of “feel good flavors”.

“Eggnog Latte is my favorite. It reminds me of the holidays and it’s festive,” Cup of Joe manager Sarah said.