The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf steps up the holidays with The Red Velvet collection

Stop by your local Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf before it's too late!

Red Velvet Ice Blended (Photo/Alyssa Gervacio) 

With the Nov. 2 launch of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s 2020 holiday drink menu, the Southern California based coffee chain is trading pumpkin for peppermint with the revival of four seasonal drink flavors and three baked goods. The brewing battle between the coffee chain industry’s Peppermint Mocha drinks has been in full effect. Though the Peppermint Mocha is one of the most popular holiday flavors, a different item on the menu catches eyes with its bright pink hue, topped with a mountain of whipped cream.

The Red Velvet Hot Cocoa flavor comes in three varieties, which include the default Red Velvet Hot Cocoa, Red Velvet Iced Cocoa and Red Velvet Ice Blended. This time, I chose the Ice Blended version but skipped out on the whipped cream to avoid further guilt. 

Upon taking the first sip of the blended concoction, guilt was no longer a problem. I wasn’t sure what to expect to begin with, but the flavor wasn’t anything I have tasted before. 

Think of a slice of red velvet cake that has been soaked with milk and thrown into a blender with some ice. The drink was super creamy with a hint of the red velvet flavor. None of it was overpowering whatsoever, it wasn’t sweet enough to make someone cringe either.

With a subtle hint of chocolate, the drink would have been heavenly as the hot cocoa variety. Topping it off with whipped cream and marshmallows would transport anyone to an instant holiday vacation. 

Overall, the drink was great! Despite the lack of some much-needed caffeine that morning, the five dollars was worth it for this coffee-shop milkshake. This drink is going to be purchased again in the future since the flavor is so hard to resist! Find your nearest location and try this drink out for a different holiday flavor this season. 

Rating: 4/5