I Tried Starbucks' Merry Mint White Mocha For The Holidays

Starbucks launched their 2023 holiday menu in November, which included new seasonal sips like the Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai and returning faves like the Chestnut Praline Latte. While the festive lineup of drinks is large enough to keep you sippin’ happily through the holidays, Starbucks has introduced a new Merry Mint White Mocha that you can order for a limited time — and it tastes like Christmas in a cup.

The Iced Merry Mint White Mocha is a seasonal version of Starbucks’ beloved Iced White Chocolate Mocha, but with the all-new Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam and Chocolate Curls on top. It’s also very close to TikTok’s Taylor Swift-inspired “Back to December” Starbucks drink. That viral fave inspired by the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) song is an Iced White Chocolate Mocha with one to two pumps of peppermint syrup — depending on your drink size — and topped with a Chocolate Cream Cold Foam with a pump of peppermint syrup and Cookie Crumbles.

The only major difference between the two drinks is having peppermint in the mocha and subbing the chocolate Cookie Crumbles for Chocolate Curls instead. I previously tried the “Back to December” Starbucks drink, and really loved how much it was like a frozen peppermint hot cocoa. It was a nostalgic sip that reminded me of the holidays, so it makes sense that Starbucks would want to recreate this joyful drink and add it to their menu. To see how the two compare, I tried the all-new Merry Mint White Mocha at Starbucks.

Starbucks’ Merry Mint White Mocha Is Nostalgic & Chocolaty

While the Merry Mint White Mocha is an official Starbucks drink, you won’t find it directly on the menu. I ordered mine through the app, which made all the customizations for me. A grande size is just an Iced White Chocolate Mocha with no whipped cream, and Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam and Chocolate Curls added under “Toppings.” If you don’t see the drink option in your Starbucks app or want to order at your local store, that’s how you can request it.

With all the customizations, the drink came to about $7.50 for me. The price is about the same for TikTok’s “Back to December” drink, which is $8 for a grande and around $9 for a venti. It’s a little pricey, but worth it for a seasonal treat — especially for how good it is. In fact, I almost drank mine right away — I loved it so much.

While the Merry Mint White Mocha isn’t as peppermint-forward as TikToker @toris_disneydose’s Taylor Swift drink, it still reminded me of an iced peppermint hot chocolate. It was more like a hot cocoa with a dash of mint flavor, whereas the Taylor Swift drink was an even mix of the two.

My favorite part of the drink was the Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam, which I’m so glad is a part of the menu this season along with other festive Cold Foam flavors. You can use them to enhance the simplest of lattes and make them totally unique — which is why I love Starbucks. And the dark chocolate pieces on top of the peppermint chocolate cold foam tastes like Andes Mints.

It’s hard for me to choose my personal fave between the two, but on those days when you’re craving chocolate more than anything, I would definitely go with the Merry Mint White Mocha. Plus, you can save some $$ on this festive drink throughout December with Starbucks’ ThursYays promotoion, where Starbucks Rewards members can get 50% off any drink from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.