The First Taste Of The Starbucks Holiday Menu Is Here—and It's An Unexpected Delight

Now that Halloween is out of the way and the temperatures are finally dropping outside, it feels like the holiday season can officially begin. Right on cue, the warm flavors of fall will almost magically transform into winter holiday treats at Starbucks cafes everywhere this week. Many fan-favorite holiday drinks are returning to the menu, including the Caramel Brulée Latte, the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, and the Iced Gingerbread Chai. And what would the holidays be without a Peppermint Mocha to wash it all down with? Not to mention the Cranberry Bliss Bar habit that I'm looking forward to picking up again this year.

However, unlike in years past, the full holiday menu will not be immediately available when stores open on November 6. Instead, the returning holiday food and drinks will be available first, and the new holiday menu items will roll out in several stages over the next two weeks. And let me be the first to say — the newest holiday beverages are worth the wait. Leading up to the launch, I was invited to taste all of the new menu offerings that are arriving this month, including the first two items that will be available immediately.

Starting on Thursday, November 6, Starbucks' festive red and green cup designs (inspired by the baristas' colorful aprons) will replace its traditional white cups for the season, along with a few other treats. Here's what you can expect.

Joining the selection of holiday snacks, a new Cinnamon Pull-Apart bread will be available in the bakery case, alongside the seasonal treats you already know and love. The pull-apart is made with pieces of croissant dough, flavored with cinnamon sugar, and topped with a crunchy streusel. The whole thing is baked into a paper muffin cup, making it easy to carry with your morning coffee. Additionally, the popular vanilla cake pop is getting a seasonal makeover, in the form of a polar bear wearing a red Santa-style hat. Returning to the bakery case this year are Starbucks' iconic Cranberry Bliss Bars, adorable Snowman Cookie, and the Sugar Plum Cheese Danish.

You'll also be able to grab the first new drink in Starbucks Reserve locations on November 6: the Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate. This cozy beverage is made with 70% cacao chocolate and steamed milk, which is then flavored with a dark caramel miso sauce. It's finished with a light dusting of brown sanding sugar and edible gold flakes for a little bit of holiday razzle-dazzle.

And for those looking for something more coffee-forward with just a hint of holiday flavor, four seasonal Cream Cold Foams have been added to the menu: Gingerbread, Peppermint Chocolate, Sugar Cookie, and Caramel Brulée. And yes, you can have those Cream Cold Foams made with Starbucks' new additional protein preparation, to help you power through all of that holiday shopping this year.

Not only is Starbucks rolling out the holiday menu in several stages this year, but the first round of drinks and snacks will be available at different stores. To make sure you head to the right place to get what you're looking for, here's what you need to know. The Cinnamon Pull-Apart will be available at regular Starbucks locations everywhere on Thursday, November 6. It will roll out alongside all of the returning seasonal foods and beverages that you'd expect to find in stores, including the ever-popular Peppermint Mocha and Snowman Cookies.

But if you want to taste the Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate, you'll have to make your way to one of the very exclusive Starbucks Reserve locations to order it. Starbucks Reserve locations are currently only open in Chicago and New York City, so getting the specialty hot chocolate might require a bit of a trek for some. The Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate can be ordered solo or as a tasting duo along with the Starbucks Reserve Peppermint Hot Cocoa for a truly decadent tasting experience.

Prices for the new items have not been disclosed ahead of the seasonal debut, but for comparison's sake, the Baked Apple Croissant on the current regular menu costs about $4.25 before taxes, and a single 12-ounce Hot Chocolate on the Starbucks Reserve menu in NYC costs $7.50 before taxes.

Although the Cinnamon Pull-Apart is served in a muffin paper, it isn't a muffin. It also isn't quite a bread, but a croissant-style pastry I'd categorize as a "cruffin"—which is just a sweetened croissant dough baked into a muffin cup instead of rolled into a crescent shape. True to its name, the Cinnamon Pull-Apart is easily torn into pieces with very little effort. Think monkey bread, but made with croissant dough, which is even easier to tear apart.

The pastry is buttery and gently sweet, and the cinnamon flavor isn't overpowering enough to affect whatever else you're eating or drinking with it. Don't be surprised when you bite into it and it's not as tender and moist as a muffin. Instead, the pastry is on the drier side. The shelf life of pastries made with laminated dough is often shorter, and they tend to dry out faster than oil-based pastries made from a batter.

With that said, if you're in the mood for a simple and gently sweet breakfast pastry, the Cinnamon Pull-Apart is worth a try. It's not quite as indulgent or celebratory as the Sugar Plum Cheese Danish or the Cranberry Bliss Bar, but the hint of holiday baking spices is enough to get you in a slightly seasonal mood.

No longer relegated to soup bowls, miso (a Japanese paste made of fermented soybean) has grown in popularity worldwide, even stretching its notoriously umami flavor notes into unexpected dishes, including desserts and beverages. On its own, miso has a slightly salty, tangy, savory, and uniquely earthy flavor that ranges in severity depending on the type of paste you're using. In desserts, it's often paired with strong flavors that can stand up to and match its intensity, like dark chocolate, rich caramel, brown butter, nutty desserts, and fruits paired with baking spices.

Pairing miso with dark caramel and chocolate in a creamy beverage format is a little unusual for a holiday drink, but a welcome addition to your winter beverage lineup. Made in the most luxurious way one can make a hot chocolate — with a 70% dark chocolate ganache, steamed milk, and rich dark caramel sauce — this hot chocolate is a pleasure just to look at. Those really are edible gold flecks sprinkled on top of the foamed milk topping, and yes, you can taste the miso with every sip. In fact, you'll probably be able to smell it before you even taste it, which should give you some indication of how well the salty umami flavor comes through. Fans of salted caramel desserts will find this combination richly satisfying, intriguing to decipher (does the saltiness come from the dark caramel or the miso? Is the earthiness from the miso or the chocolate?), and well worth the time to sit down and enjoy — even if you have to hunt down a Starbucks Reserve location to get a taste.

Given how much is happening with the return of the holiday menu at Starbucks, it's hard to believe that there will be even more revealed in the upcoming days. But for the time being, the first two new menu items, along with the returning food and beverage options, are plenty to get you into the holiday spirit. In addition to the menu, Starbucks is releasing a slew of holiday merchandise, including specialty cups, a limited-edition collab, whole bean coffee, and gift cards to kick off the winter festivities.

Collectors of Starbucks mugs and tumblers have a new selection to choose from, including a larger snowy white tumbler with a handle, a sipper-style evergreen tumbler with a dusting of gold speckles on it, and a smaller red sipper tumbler with this year's red ribbon motif embossed on it. And then there's the glass "Bearista" cold cup, which has been so popular that many stores are already running out of stock. The coffee chain has also released a limited edition collaboration with Hello Kitty, offering tumblers, mugs, and even a Hello Kitty plush outfitted with its very own green Starbucks apron that collectors are sure to line up for.

And if that weren't enough, don't forget about Starbucks' seasonal selection of specialty whole bean coffee. This year, you have several options to choose from, including the Thanksgiving Blend, Christmas Blend, Christmas Blonde Roast, and Holiday Blend.

For those who genuinely enjoy Pumpkin Spice Latte season, it's a bittersweet goodbye when the Starbucks holiday menu drops. Then there are those who can't wait to leave the PSL behind, in anticipation of the colorful cups and treat-inspired beverages that mark the changing of the seasons. After several years of tasting the newest lineup of seasonal snacks and drinks at Starbucks, I didn't think there would be anything this year that could surprise me. While that may still be true when it comes to the Cinnamon Pull-Apart pastry, the new Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate is a truly impressive addition to the holiday menu. It's the kind of full-bodied hot chocolate that's hard to find these days, with a flavor combination that's rich in both execution and creativity.

Unfortunately, the fact that it's only available at Starbucks Reserve locations will be a disappointment for many. And while the new Cinnamon Pull-Apart pastry is a nice snack, it doesn't hit quite as hard as the Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate. If you're lucky enough to live near a Starbucks Reserve location, or are traveling near one this holiday season, this hot chocolate alone is worth stopping for. Additionally, this week's launch is just the first of several holiday menu surprises that Starbucks has planned this season. So kick things off with your favorite drink from the classic holiday selection, and stay tuned for what's next.