Molly Stine
Reporter
The holiday season brings for New Canaanites gift shopping, house decorating and sledding (weather permitting). But the most anticipated part of the season appears in coffee shops around town. The love of holiday drinks runs deep and as you can imagine, things can get pretty heated (no pun intended) over who makes them the best. NCHS students have evaluated where they think the best spot in town is to get a holiday drink during the season. Whether it’s Zumbach’s, Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, everybody has a personal preference.
Senior Tori Williams believes that Starbucks’ drinks beat the competition’s. “My favorite is Starbucks, because they have a personal holiday menu,” she said. “Their drinks are just amazing, and the gingerbread latte is so good.”
However, Shea Durkin, a Zumbach’s employee and senior at NCHS, thinks that Zumbach’s new seasonal drinks are the best around. “Our holiday drinks at Zumbach’s are very good, but they are definitely different from other places,” she said. “Personally, when I make the drinks for high schoolers I make them a lot sweeter.”
Junior Sara Wilson likes all of the coffee shops, but each for different reasons. “I like that Starbuck’s drinks have a lot of flavor, I like that Zumbach’s has good coffee based drinks, and I like that Dunkin Donuts has good hot chocolate.”
Photo by: Molly Stine
The appeal of holiday drinks falls short for some, especially for senior Steven Nilla. “I think that holiday drinks are really sweet and targeted towards women,” he said. “I prefer regular coffee.”
Because of the limited time period in which holiday drinks are offered, Tori believes they are more desirable. “I prefer holiday drinks because they are only in stores for a certain amount of time, which makes me want them more,” she said. “I have to get them while I can, and other coffee drinks are always there so I’m not as obsessed with them around the holidays.”
But for some, the interest in holiday drinks does not last. “In the holidays, I think its fine to get those kind of drinks, but I still try to refrain from having them because they are really unhealthy, while black coffee is zero calories,” Shea said.
Ultimately it is the spirit of the season that makes these drinks worth it. Sara said, “I like holiday drinks mostly because they really get me in holiday spirit.”
