So I recently went out to Coffee Bean Tea Leaf to try their holiday drinks- the Winter Dream Tea Latte, Toffee Nut Ice Blended, and Red Velvet Hot Chocolate. The Winter Dream Tea Latte and the Red Velvet Hot Chocolate are staples on the CBTL holiday drink menu and many a fan celebrated their return enthusiastically. The Toffee Nut Ice Blended and the Toffee Nut Latte are new additions to the menu this year. Before we begin I need to make a quick disclaimer. I’m really more of a Starbucks girl so I might be a tiny bit biased in my review.

First off the Winter Dream Tea Latte. I had the iced version and not the hot due to the surprisingly warm fall weather where I live. The Winter Dream Tea is a delicious mix of rooibos and black tea. I remember drinking this tea during the winter when I was in college. It has a spicy cinnamon flavor and a strong taste. Even in the iced drink the flavor came across very strong. I think that it’s an excellent drink to have when you want something to wake you up but aren’t really feeling like a coffee.

Second is the Red Velvet Hot Chocolate. This is one of my personal favorite drinks that CBTL offers. I love a good hot chocolate but the Red Velvet Hot Chocolate has a special place in my heart. The taste is quite sweet and isn’t quite as chocolaty as one would expect. But something about this super-pink foamy drink is really addictive.

Finally, there is there are the new Toffee Nut drinks. I had the Toffee Nut Ice Blended. I expected something that tasted similar to the Starbucks Toffee Nut syrup but the taste is different. I would say that the Toffee Nut at CBTL is stronger in flavor than its Starbucks counterpart and less sweet. The Toffee Nut Ice Blended has a strong caramel taste with a nutty flavor. I do have to warn you, the aftertaste of this drink is really strong though I wouldn’t say that it was unpleasant. Though the drink is good on its own, I think this drink would pair better with something to eat, like a croissant or a sandwich.