I've come to realise that I love trying limited edition, seasonal drinks. After trying a festive spice latte from Costa, I realised that this strange passion could actually become a talking point for my site
3/5. This could have been better if it didn't have random pistachio chunks in it. Also, I should have bought a small one instead of large, since I felt kind of sick by the end (although I admit that's my own fault). Thanks to the person at the till who let me have free chocolate though, the vibes are so good in my local Nero.
4/5. Drinking this felt like getting hugged by a man made out of pistachio. This was so good, and it didn't have any surprise chunks in it, which is always a positive.
Amazing, 5/5 drink. I remember feeling the beginning of a sore throat and then drinking this anyway just because it was so good.
The strawberry cream part of this was really good. The matcha part, not so much, although I'm not the best match for matcha (see what I did there?). Overall, 3/5 (although keep in mind my bias against matcha).
Pretty decent. It's similar to the PSL for me, I'd give it a solid 3/5.
4.5/5. This is so good that it overcame my mixed feelings towards matcha.
This a general statement rather than for a specific drink. I want to like matcha lattes so much, but it never works out for me... Special shoutout to Pret's Rice milk Matcha, truly one of the few 0.5/5 ratings from me. Why would you get rid of milk as a menu option and keep this disgrace?
I quite literally had this yesterday and I don't remember anything about it. 2/5 for lack of memorability.
It's a no from me. Something about this drink makes me stomach feel like Vesuvius a few weeks before the eruption. It doesn't really taste as good as the PSL either from Black Sheep, so a 2/5.
I realised that I've tried so many different pumpkin spice lattes that I need a separate page for them.
Overall, a half-decent choice. Pret isn't my first choice for coffee anymore, although I used to drink this religiously before I branched out to different brands. I think it's a solid 3/5 stars. If you're wondering why I ranked it kind of high, wait til you find out my reasons for downgrading the other ones.
2/5 stars. They've overdone it with the 'spice' part, because this just tastes like curry to me (specifically korma). For a brand that is arguably well-known for their pumpkin spice latte, this was disappointing.
4/5 stars. This was really good, it's just that I docked a point since (in my opinion) iced drinks and autumn/winter should never mix.
1/5 stars. Same issue as Starbucks except so much more savoury, somehow.
4.5/5 stars. This is just a joy to drink.
4/5 stars. While I wouldn't say this is better than the Blank Street PSL, this one tastes unique compared to other pumpkin spice lattes. It tastes very autumnal, and I can get behind that.
I realised that I've sort of moved away from drinking hot chocolate in recent years. It's nice once in a while, but more than that? No way, not anymore. So this section is a tribute to my childhood tradition of drinking hot chocolate.
5/5. This is amazing. If bliss could be a drink, it would be this one. Something about the combination of the cream, and the cherry, and the chocolate creates something which, while I wouldn't say is emblematic of Christmas, at the very least represents the feeling of winter. This is a drink that I think everyone should try in their lifetime.
4.5/5. This is where it all started. My love for hazelnut. Hazelnuts are one of the few things on this earth which I would say are perfect in terms of the natural world (in addition to the golden snub-nosed monkey and phantom jellies). I love hazelnut flavoured stuff - I buy hazelnut ice cream, hazelnut lattes, hazelnut chocolate, the list goes on (it really doesn't). This hot chocolate is amazing, although it's a shame that it was discontinued.
I didn't actually remember this existed until I started researching this topic. While I knew that I had had the hazelnut, and the black forest, and the ruby hot chocolate, this was tucked into some dark corner room of my mind palace. I don't think I can accurately rate this, although it must have been good because, upon reflection, I remember trying to make it at home and adding way too much syrup, meaning it tasted like play dough. Although the fact that I tried to recreate it must mean it was good, right?
4/5. This didn't really taste like chocolate, but I remember it was bright pink and I can't rate something that essentially succeeded in its purpose (look pink, pretty and taste alright) badly. They really should have rolled this one out during the Barbie movie craze, it would have went down so well. I remember drinking this during lockdown.
3/5. Like most of Pret's drinks, this simply passes by virtue of hitting the bare minimum criteria. While I used to be Pret's biggest fan, the way they changed their subscription service just isn't worth it anymore (although I suspect that their previous subscription terms were leading to them losing money). This is okay, it does well in a pinch, although usually the hot chocolate power just collects at the bottom, forming a disgusting lump of sugar and cocoa powder. In summary, it's alright.
This one will probably be a hit for the hot chocolate enthusiasts, but for a casual drinker like me, it was a bit much. I think I ordered one of the lowest cocoa percentages, but I remember my throat being coated in a film of chocolate. I got a sore throat. This was around when this first opened near us, so a few years ago. I think they've expanded their range a lot, so I want to try that some point soon. 2.5/5 (affectionate).
While I wouldn't say I'm a patriotic person, there's something about drinking a radioactive green beverage that really instills pride in me for the fatherland. In all seriousness, this is everything I love in a beverage - unnaturally coloured, sweet to the point of feeling your teeth dissolve, and tasting weirdly good when mixed with milk. Someday I want to try this with ice cream - similar to a pepsi float, except I guess a Pakola float? 4/5.
When I bought this, I remember my friends laughed at me and sneered with disgust at the perceived abomination I had bought. Jokes on them, because this was actually kind of good. I feel like this drink caters to the South Asian audience - crazy about pepsi, crazy about mango - so obviously I was drawn in as soon as I saw this drink. It tastes okay, not bad but not something I would drink religiously (although I don't drink fizzy drinks religously either way). Solid 3/5.
4/5. The bottle looks nice, the cream coloured label and the brown coke just look nice together. It tastes decent and even though some people say it's too sweet, I think it's good.
I bought this by accident from a vending machine without realising. So for the first five-ish minutes I seriously thought I had bought expired coke.
This was good I'd say. Tastes amazing with biryani.
This used to be my go-to. A good ol' matcha milk tea. It looks cute, and it's sweet but not too sweet. 3/5 because I've noticed different places do different sweetness levels so it's hard to get it consistent.
It's purple! This has always been a bit much for me. I always start off enjoying it but slowly that feeling wears off into sickness. A friend of mine described it as birthday cake flavour. 2/5 - just not for me.
My new favourite. I love this so much. It just tastes good. It's a nice, safe option and for good reason. 4/5
This is so good I just had to name drop it. While brown sugar is my regular favourite, this is what I drink when I want to treat myself. The wide variety of textures are a little disconcerting at first, but once you get used to it this is truly the most amazing thing I have ever had. 5/5
There is a story behind this. I had travelled far and wide to go to this shop, somewhere 'authentic', as they say. I go in, it's an unfamiliar environment so I am so incredibly nervous. My only solace is the bubble tea I'll be given at the end of it all. I receive the rose milk tea I order (with extra tapioca), and as I step outside the first thing I lay my eyes on is a shop for adult toys. Now, I won't express my opinion on this much, but there's some things you just don't want to think about when you're having food, and this is one of them. I separate my time in specific ways, so when one thing intrudes on another, it's ever so slightly upsetting. So for the entirety of that drink, guess what I was thinking about with every sip? I can never have rose bubble tea again (possible exaggeration).
In all seriousness, I didn't really like drinking such a floral flavour, it just felt kind of weird. 1/5