Review: Starbucks' Merry Mint White Mocha Is A Delightful If Short-Lived Holiday Treat

It's not every day you're scrolling through Facebook and stumble upon an announcement from your favorite coffee company about a new limited-time holiday drink. But that's exactly what we just experienced with the Merry Mint White Mocha beverage from Starbucks — and you can bet we didn't waste any time trying it out!

Now, while the Starbucks secret menu often features items that were actually created by Starbucks enthusiasts, this new offering feels a bit closer to what one might consider a true secret menu item. It's not the sort of drink you'd typically find on (or be able to select from) the regular menu — and you need to know exactly where to look to place an order for it, as well.

For a limited time, you can order this holiday beverage through the company's app without any additional customizations or modifications (though we must admit we ordered ours with extra ice). After trying this new app-exclusive beverage firsthand, here's our review of the new Merry Mint White Mocha drink from Starbucks.

Featuring a super fun and slightly alliterative seasonal name, the Merry Mint White Mocha is essentially the coffee chain's Iced White Chocolate Mocha with a minty twist. Instead of the regular whipped cream that coats Starbucks' Iced White Mocha, the Merry Mint White Mocha is topped with Peppermint Chocolate Cream Cold Foam and finished with a touch of chocolate curls.

Despite the name hinting at peppermint in the drink, that particular flavor is found exclusively in the cold foam on top (rather than contained in the actual coffee). The barista is responsible for combining the white chocolate and mocha in the drink itself with the unique cold foam resting on top.

This results in a visually dual-toned mocha, boasting a chocolate hue in the cold foam and a lighter color in the coffee part. Mochas often have a white cap from the whipped cream, so the slightly darker cold foam color is an undeniably distinctive difference offered by this exclusive option.

Anyone interested in ordering a Merry Mint White Mocha can do so through the Starbucks app — but for a fairly limited time. After all, this holiday-themed beverage will only be offered until December 22, 2023. But if you pay close attention to what's actually in the drink, you can order this seasonal item during the rest of the year with a few swaps and tweaks.

Now, you could always order an Iced White Chocolate Mocha with the Peppermint Chocolate Cold Foam instead of whipped cream while that cold foam flavor remains available. If that cold foam disappears after the holidays pass, though, you can simply ask your barista to create an ad hoc concoction by mixing mocha sauce and peppermint syrup. It's a little-known fact that Starbucks stocks peppermint syrup and mocha year-round, rather than exclusively during the holidays. Of course, we must admit it's nice to order the Merry Mint White Mocha without needing to make any special changes or modifications (at least for the drink's short window of availability).

In terms of pricing, a venti version of the drink is likely to cost $8.50, a grande version will cost $8.20, while a tall Merry Mint White Mocha is apt to cost $7.50. While these were the prices at our nearest location, we understand prices can sometimes vary from store to store.

In terms of nutrition, finding the exact figures for this particular drink is tricky. Since the Merry Mint White Mocha is somewhat of a custom concoction (which blends elements from several different standard Starbucks offerings), its nutritional profile isn't readily available. Of course, while we can't say what the specific calorie, carbohydrate, or sugar content may be, a glance at the ingredients indicates it's not the healthiest creation.

The Merry Mint White Mocha's base consists of 2% milk, which is then mixed with white chocolate mocha sauce for a creamy sweetness quite different from the regular mocha. Espresso provides the caffeinated boost in this one, and the whole piece is topped with a Peppermint Chocolate Cold Foam made from a combination of mocha sauce and peppermint syrup — adding a merry, festive twist (though one that's hardly a nutritional dynamo).

Caffeine content varies by size, as well, increasing with each step up. A tall order contains a single shot of espresso, equating to 75 milligrams of caffeine. A grande ups the ante with a second shot — bringing the total to 150 milligrams of caffeine — while a venti includes triple the espresso for an impressive 225 milligrams of caffeine. In other words, anyone sensitive to caffeine may want to stick to a smaller size.

In terms of flavor, we loved the balance between white chocolate, mocha, and peppermint offered by the Merry Mint White Mocha. The decision to include peppermint solely in the cold foam means it doesn't overwhelm the rest of the drink. Rather, it creates a nice pop of brightness instead of a steady stream of mint that feels like a combination of brushing your teeth and drinking coffee.

The beverage's delicate mint flavor mixes well with the white mocha. We generally find white chocolate mocha to be quite a bit sweeter than regular mocha, so we enjoyed the fact that this drink used both white chocolate mocha (in the coffee) and regular chocolate mocha (in the cold foam).

We also liked the texture of this beverage. It's nowhere near the thickness of a Frappuccino, but the combination of cold foam and coffee felt a little bit thicker than a typical coffee drink in a thoroughly pleasant way. Frankly, the Merry Mint White Mocha tasted like more of a treat than a simple coffee drink — which is the exact type of pick-me-up we prefer this time of the year.

The closest thing we could compare this to was Starbucks' Iced Peppermint Mocha, though it's clearly quite similar to the Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, as well. However, the Merry Mint White Mocha adds something special by swapping the standard whipped cream for a Peppermint Chocolate Cold Foam.

The biggest difference between the festively named Merry Mint White Mocha and those two drinks is its mint aspect only shows up in the cold foam rather than in the drink itself. After all, you'll find peppermint syrup in the drink itself in both the Iced Peppermint Mocha and Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha (along with white chocolate mocha syrup).

Each of these beverages is tasty, of course, though the Merry Mint White Mocha offers a lighter feel. Either way, it fits right in with other seasonal menu items you might order this time of year and offers a fun spin with its unique ingredients.

Since we're always excited to try the newest drinks from Starbucks, we quickly ordered the new Merry Mint White Mocha from our nearest location. The switch to Peppermint Chocolate Cold Foam made for a creamier mocha taste and mouthfeel, creating a playful twist on the seasonal classics we already love. Plus, the drink's use of cold foam instead of the usual whipped cream meant we were able to enjoy it with a strawless lid, which was a nice change of pace from the typical straw found in many other iced beverages.

Frankly, we think the new Merry Mint White Mocha is well worth it — particularly if your regular Starbucks order is starting to feel a bit mundane. This delightful holiday variation is easy to order through the Starbucks app and is the perfect option for anyone looking to spice up their coffee routine with something new and seasonal. Of course, while we found it to be the perfect buddy during holiday shopping, don't forget the Merry Mint White Mocha is only available until December 22, 2023.