The ECHO has tasted the limited edition Christmas coffees from five major chains, with one easily coming out on top.
Coffee is a staple in many people's daily lives, but around Christmas time, your morning pick me up is peppered with a festive twist. Chains across the country release Christmas menus each year, with a lot of different takes on hot drinks.
While higher in price than your standard americano, festive coffees are viewed as a seasonal treat that's not to be missed - but how exactly do they all compare? Are they any better than the bog standard options and, most importantly, are they worth the price?
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The ECHO has conducted a taste test of Christmas coffees from five different major outlets - McDonald's, Greggs, Costa, Starbucks and Pret a Manger - marking them out of five (it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it). Here's our verdict:
McDonald's
The order: Caramel Waffle Latte
Price: £2.09
The cheapest festive coffee comes from the fast food giant. Taster Paul said the limited edition brew was "the perfect treat" to help him get through the frosty morning. He added: "As someone who only drinks iced lattes, it was a nice alternative and the heat oozing from the cup was an added bonus. The smooth drink had just the right amount of everything including the waffle flavour syrup, caramel cream and sugar dusting. However, if you aren't a fan of tanginess I would give it a miss."
Score: 4/5
Costa
The order: Toblerone Latte
Price: £4.35
The most expensive drink we bought, but the upside is you get a miniature Toblerone to go with it. Taster Charlotte said: "I'd say it's a good mix between hot chocolate and coffee. It's got a sweet aftertaste but it's quite nice. You think you're having a coffee but then it's like chocolate."
However, the mini Toblerone had melted before we got back to the office as we'd placed it on top of the drink. Not an issue in store, but not practical for takeout. Charlotte said this was "the only downside".
Score: 3/5
Starbucks
The order: Eggnog Latte
Price: £4.10
The second most expensive drink comes from Starbucks. Our taster Ellen is a huge fan and this was the out and out winner. She said: "I've already tasted this and I love it.
"It's a meal in a drink, I don't know how else to describe it. It's beautiful - cake and coffee all in one. It'll keep you going during the festive season."
Score: 5/5
Greggs
The order: Salted Caramel Latte
Price: £2.30
As the second cheapest drink out of the five, it kept in line with Greggs' affordable price point.
However, our tester wasn't impressed. Jenny said: "It's rotten. There's nothing festive about it. It's too sweet." She also described it as "oily".
Score: 2/5
Pret a Manger
The order: Praline Latte
Price: £3.55
For a relatively high-end sandwich chain, I was surprised at the price of this regular sized drink. It also came with whipped cream on top. Taster Sophie was also a fan. She said: "It's really nice; nutty and very smooth. You can see the syrupy bits though - I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing."
Score: 3/5
Starbucks was the clear winner, even though it was one of the most expensive Christmas coffees. The eggnog flavour is maybe not as mainstream as your gingerbread or salted caramel, but it was certainly a winner to our taster Ellen.
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