Grocery Store Holiday Coffees To Put Some Cheer In Your Cup

Rich cocoa and deep caramel tones naturally fit the holiday season — and that's what we naturally get in a quality dark roast. Whoever and wherever Peet is, they know how to roast coffee beans to perfection. The brand's holiday blend will be a permanent resident of our coffee station for the duration of its limited release. It's not just the steamy coffee that'll thaw you out on a cold winter morning; the subtle notes of warming spices, which always evoke nothing less than holiday nostalgia, will instantly melt the cold weather blues away. When introduced to the chocolatey flavors of a robust dark roast, the aromatic cinnamon is brought to life; everything that awaits you in the Peet's Holiday Blend is grandma's best Christmas dessert reincarnated. 

Where can you get your hands on one of these lively red bags? Holiday Blend is available from Peet's for $22.95 per pound, or 10 ounces for $10.79 (at the time of this writing) from Target. Don't let this Christmas star fade away from you, though — Peet's says the holiday blend is only available for purchase until January 3. 

Eggnog lattes are a coffee lover's reason for the season. Rich, custardy eggnog is the best contrast to intense espresso. Coffee shops often include a few steamed-'nog-based drinks on their winter menus, but you don't have to go without if you get snowed in. Thanks to World Market, we have a holiday eggnog coffee to try. This roast is made with the bright and lively coffee crop of South and Central American growing regions. 

Coffee lovers who have tried this festive flavor say that the cinnamon and nutmeg spices bloom at the first sip, but that the eggnog flavor is on the milder side, with one particularly enamored reviewer deeming the brand's holiday brew "Christmas in a cup," per World Market. This jolly coffee is available exclusively on the World Market website at $9.99 per 12 ounces. We think it would be particularly decadent topped with a cloud of whipped cream and some cinnamon.

Caribou Coffee uses aged Sumatra coffee beans to achieve the complex flavors of its dark roast holiday blend. We easily loved the flavor of Caribou's Reindeer Blend, but it is a fickle roast. Brewing with a drip coffee maker doesn't unleash the full profile of the beans and roast, making it taste like any plain old coffee. We recommend using freshly ground beans if possible, and using a Chemex, Moka Pot, or French press to prepare it; a myriad of tastes hide in this coffee — Caribou says to expect "a hint of caramel and a dash of spice," but that is only coaxed out by the perfect brewing conditions. 

The taste of buttery toffee, faint winter spice, and caramelization of a dark roast culminate into an overall experience similar to a toasted marshmallow or the crystallized top of crème brûlée. It tastes like sitting next to a roaring fireplace — but for a dash of extra coziness, try stirring your fresh cup of Reindeer Blend with a cinnamon stick for a few moments before drinking.

Reindeer Blend is $16.99 per pound directly through Caribou or $9.99 for 10 ounces from Target.

We all know what coffee America runs on — and when you need to hustle out the door for a day full of holiday shopping, the Dunkin' Limited Edition Holiday Blend delivers on the caffeine kick you need to shoulder through the Christmas crowds. This festive brew from one of the most beloved American coffee chains received approval from us, but the flavor is one we'd have to disclose as unique to other holiday blends. 

The dark-roasted Ethiopian beans seem to retain more terroir — the natural flavors that develop as a result of the coffee bean's species and growing conditions, not the roasting technique. As a result, the Dunkin' Holiday Blend gave us hints of sugarplum, candied figs, and molasses. It was a delicious coffee, but different from the spices, caramel, and chocolate notes of other wintry blends.

The Dunkin' Holiday Blend is available through most major grocers and may be available at local Dunkin' locations. At Target, you can get 11 ounces of Dunkin's holiday coffee for $8.59.

Gingerbread is a holiday flavor with a loyal following but can be an acquired taste. If the robust flavors of ginger, molasses, and autumnal baking space are something you enjoy, you'll be delighted to find the Starbucks Gingerbread Medium Roast Coffee in your stocking this year — but bear in mind that the flavor intensity is nothing like biting into a fresh gingerbread cookie or even drinking a gingerbread latte. Or, at least, that was our impression.

This is actually a bit of an advantage for this festive Starbucks roast, though, because it makes it more palatable to coffee lovers who aren't all that keen on gingerbread. There are discernible notes of ginger, but other holiday flavors come forward too for a balanced aromatic brew. This Starbucks roast is available at Target for $9.99 per 11 ounces. Act fast, though — you never know how long these seasonal gems will last!

Thick socks, an oversized plaid flannel, and World Market's Fireside Rum Ground Coffee — the holy trinity of winter. Sometimes you want the taste of something warm and boozy without the actual buzz. When this coffee first begins to brew, aromas of hot buttered rum will float throughout your kitchen. World Market reviews say that the rum flavor is perfectly harmonious with the coffee — the flavor of one balances the other. Coffee is not a traditional element of this flavor's inspiration — hot buttered rum is a cocktail made with brown sugar, butter, baking spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and spiced rum, of course — but with the majority giving enthusiastic approval of the brew, it seems to be a well-suited match.

For this happy marriage of spiced rum and robust coffee, you'll have to head directly to World Market. Fireside Rum is a World Market exclusive, available for $9.99 per 12 ounces.

The Fresh Market's shoppers have an array of holiday coffee flavors to choose from. According to the grocery store, there's Chocolate Cranberry, Pecan Pie, Snowflake Sugar Cookie, or the classic Christmas Blend. The Fresh Market says that this blend is a festive concoction of cinnamon, clove, and sweet vanilla. The Snowflake Sugar Cookie limited edition roast is described as a "buttery medium-roast coffee with flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, and toasted nuts" — that sounds like a divine remedy to waking up on a frosty morning in December. Chocolate Cranberry, which is definitely a unique holiday flavor if we've ever seen one, is reportedly a rich and full-flavored coffee that combines dark chocolate and semi-tart cranberries. This grocery store also offers a holiday brew for the decaff coffee drinkers: Caramel Bread Pudding, said to be a sweet-and-spicy roast encapsulating a festive baked good, is free of caffeine.

Order a 16-ounce bag of the Christmas Blend through The Fresh Market's online storefront for $16.49. Prices and stock may vary at the store's brick-and-mortar locations. 

Chocolate and peppermint are a match made in holiday heaven. If you're not a fan of bitter dark roasts from Starbucks, you'll be happy to learn that this is made with light-roasted coffee beans, so the flavor doesn't overwhelm the peppermint mocha experience. This is also the perfect blend if you like a more balanced amount of peppermint in your beverage. 

It already has a subtle sweetness, but you can turn it into an even sweeter drink with extra sugar or sweetener. However, don't expect that adding cream will transform this into the same experience as ordering a peppermint mocha at Starbucks; it's still just flavored ground coffee.

You can enjoy this blend no matter how you make your coffee. If you're at Walmart, you can find it both in a 17-ounce bag for $12.48 or in a box of 22 K-cup pods for $15.98. With both rated equally, it's up to you to decide how you want to brew it.

Door County's holiday flavors have some of the highest ratings of any of the brands you will find at grocery stores. With candy canes being synonymous with the wonders of Christmas morning, it's no surprise that adding the flavor to your morning coffee sparks nostalgia and joy during the holiday season. 

The sweet and cool flavors of peppermint in this medium-roast Arabica coffee are sure to delight your senses. Drinking a cup of this coffee by the fireplace on a winter's day will have you feeling toasty in no time. Many customers find this flavor to be addictive and regard it as the best peppermint coffee available because the minty flavor is so intense.

If you're looking for this mint-bomb coffee, you can find it at Walmart for $10.99 for an 8-ounce bag. If you're the type of person who likes minty coffee year-round, you may want to grab extra bags while it's on the shelf, because your grocery store is unlikely to carry it past the holidays.

Take note that Door County Coffee has both a White Christmas and a Door County Christmas blend. So you don't confuse them, White Christmas is a vanilla-flavored coffee, while Door County Christmas is all about holiday spices. All the ingredients in Christmas are kept secret, and Door County Coffee is only willing to reveal that there's cinnamon and nutmeg in the spice mix. Some fans detect gingerbread flavors, and others mention tasting a hint of mint.

It's become such a tradition with repeat customers that the company has vowed never to change the recipe. It will remind you of the magic of your childhood Christmas, full of sparkling decorations, homemade cookies, and delight. Once you start to brew this blend, it will fill your house with the smells of the holidays.

Walmart sells an eight-ounce bag of this wonderful Door County Christmas coffee for $10.99. So, if you see it on the shelves, you'll want to be sure to grab a pack and give it a try.