With the holiday season kicking off, there is nothing that can get you more in spirit than a sweet coffee.. But would you rather one from a small local shop, or one that is worldwide? Coffee is a staple for most high schoolers to get them through their day at Triton, so Mr Allen’s b period journalism class was pleasantly surprised when they came in first period on a Thursday morning to try out some delicious Christmas themed coffees from Sweet Peas Bakery, as well as Starbucks Coffee to get in the spirit. 

From Sweet Peas, we decided to try out the peppermint mocha latte topped with whipped cream as well as the praline latte topped with a toffee crumble. Both were delicious, yet so diverse. As for Starbucks, we decided to try out some of our favorites from the annual Christmas menu; the cremé brulee latte and the sugar cookie almond milk latte. 

First we tried out the peppermint mocha latte from Sweet Peas, which was Rowan’s pick from the small bakery, and she gave it  it a rating of 9/10. 

“[I] love the mint taste, it was just enough,” said senior Sophie Chapman. And from the man himself, “just enough minty taste,” said Mr Allen. 

To stay on the Sweet Peas track, we decided to go right in and try the praline latte. This latte was Maddie’s favorite from the shop, and she gave  it a rating of 10/10, describing it as “sweet, yet still has a good taste of coffee to it,”. 

On the contrary, senior Luke Sullivan thought otherwise. “[It] tastes like water, not a fan,” said Sullivan. 

Transferring over to Starbucks, first we tried the créme brulee latte. 

“It is my favorite drink on the Christmas menu, I look forward to it every year,” said Cole. The rest of b period journalism seemed to agree. 

“Very sweet, but I like it,” said Chapman

Agreeing with Chapman, was junior Nancy Arias. “It’s sweet, I love it,” said the junior. 

Last (and definitely least) was the sugar cookie almond milk latte. This latte is normally Maddie’s favorite drink from the holiday menu, but “it disappointed today,” she said. The class agreed. 

“It’s alright, but I wouldn’t order it,” said Arias. Senior Beckham Zizza came up with an interesting description of the taste of the drink that gave us all a laugh. “[I] hated it, tasted like popcorn,” he said. 

Both menus from the two coffee shops were delicious, yet had their own unique differences. After the B period students tried all of the drinks, they came together to put their favorites in order from first to last. In first place was the fan favorite, the créme brulee latte from Starbucks. In second place was the peppermint mocha latte from Sweet peas, with the praline latte coming in at third. The sugar cookie almond milk latte was in last place by a mile, after tallying the votes. We would highly recommend trying out the holiday menus from both shops to really get in the Christmas spirit!