Review: Starbucks Warms Up Its Winter Menu With Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread And Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate

The buffer between spooky season and holiday cheer seems to get shorter every year (my local grocery store has already lined the aisles with candy canes and Christmas-tree-shaped chocolates). And while November may have just begun, Starbucks too is embracing the seasonal shift. The coffee giant has officially begun ringing in its holiday collection, complete with returning classics and a few brand-new menu items.

The coffee giant's seasonal staples like the Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Bruleé Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, and Iced Gingerbread Chai will be coming back — but that's not all. Some of this year's new winter menu launches include the Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread, and Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate — both of which we had to chance to try before their release to the public. So how do these new treats compare to our usual holiday faves? Here's everything you need to know about Starbucks' new Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread and Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate.

The Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread and Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate launch on November 6, along with returning seasonal favorites and brand new apron-inspired festive cup designs (keep your eyes peeled for Red Cup Day is scheduled for November 13). While most of the items are available for a limited time, the Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread is joining the menu as a permanent staple and will be available year-round. 

Notably, the Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate is a new offering that is only sold at Starbucks Reserve locations. So for US Starbucks lovers, unless you're in the Big Apple or the windy city, you won't be able to get your hands on this new offering. 

While cinnamon lovers may typically opt for the chain's Cinnamon Coffee Cake, there is now another option on Starbucks' menu: the Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread. The pastry comes nestled in a muffin-style wrapper, though the bread itself looks more like a croissant (a dish that actually originated in Austria — not France) with its flaky exterior. The new menu item is topped with cinnamon sugar, giving it a mouthwatering appeal.

And the inside is just as good as the outside. The treat is soft, warm, and infused with just enough cinnamon flavor. Of course, I had to compare this new addition to the chain's other cinnamon-flavored treat: the Cinnamon Coffee Cake. The cinnamon flavor is much more mild here (after all, it doesn't have the same streusel topping that the cake possesses) — but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. While the chain's coffee cake is more dessert-like and indulgent, the Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread is lighter and perhaps better suited towards breakfast with a soft, flaky texture reminiscent of the chain's croissants.

If I had to give one critique, it's that I was left hoping for a bit more "pull-apart"-ness. As I mentioned, the pastry leans more croissant-like than gooey cinnamon bread. That approach has its perks (it is less messy, after all), but it wasn't quite the texture I was expecting from the name. Still, the Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread is a welcome addition to Starbucks' lineup and one I'll definitely be grabbing again.

The idea of a Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate was initially daunting to me. Sure, I've had miso in ramen and, of course, in miso soup (which you can get creative with by adding in a poached egg or mushrooms), but in hot chocolate? Now that was a first.

But this drink surprised me. The Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate was rich, warm, and comforting. It felt fresh yet oddly nostalgic, perhaps the result of a familiar flavor showing up in an unexpected place. The miso flavor was subtle — so much so that it took me a couple of sips to really identify it. It pairs perfectly with the buttery sweetness of the caramel and complemented the hot chocolate flavor rather than overpowering it. And can we talk about this presentation? The addition of the edible gold leaf topping makes the drink totally Instagram-worthy.

While the drink's limited availability is disappointing, I can only hope that Starbucks one day expands it beyond its Reserve Roastery locations so that it can be enjoyed by more than just a lucky few.

Starbucks tends to take its winter menu seriously, and this year is no different. These two new launches showcase different sides of what Starbucks customers might be looking for this holiday season.

The Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread is a tasty pastry that leans into familiar holiday flavors. Cinnamon is a well-known flavor for the brand yet one that remains less explored when it comes to food items. The Cinnamon Pull-Apart isn't as decadent as a Cinnabon-style cinnamon roll (or even ones we can make from scratch), but it doesn't need to be. Instead, it occupies a different place in our hearts (and our meal schedule). The "pull-apart" concept is fun and something the chain could easily build on by perhaps exploring new variations with different flavors and seasonal twists.

The limited-availability Miso Hot Chocolate stands out as a unique and fairly inventive offering for the brand. While I admittedly hadn't encountered miso hot chocolate before this review, a bit of Google searching revealed that it's a flavor combination that's been circling for years. Still, this drink marks new territory for Starbucks as it appears to be the first time the chain has showcased the combo. While customers nationwide won't be able to experience this contrast of flavors (unless they're in New York or Chicago, of course), we'll be adding our hopes for the future expanded availability of the Caramel Miso Hot Chocolate to our holiday wish list.