'Tis the season to drink coffee: where to find Christmas brews in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Caffe Nero – the red cups are back everywhere with lashings of gingerbread syrup

Picture perfect gingerbread houses and hot chocolates are on the menu at Tania's Teahouse. Courtesy Tania's Teahouse.
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It is around about this time every year that classic coffee cups get swapped out for something red, green and festive, and gingerbread or toffee nut flavours start getting added to coffees and hot chocolates at shops. It may be 30°C outside, but the UAE is no exception.

The variety is not limited to delicious seasonal hot drinks, cafes across emirates are also offering "Christmassy" cakes, turkey toasties, classic mince pies and Yule logs.

If you like your coffee topped with cream, this is the list for you...

Costa Coffee 

This season, Costa Coffee outlets are serving a special AZ Ruby Spanish Latte, which combines coffee and fruity berry flavours, and is a festive shade of red. It has also introduced a cookies and cream hot chocolate, and brought back its gingerbread latte. On the food menu is a roast turkey stuffing and cranberry sandwich; roast turkey and cranberry toastie; apple and cranberry strudel; mince pies; festive macaroons and a Yule Log Cake.

Costa Coffee has a special AZ Ruby Spanish Latte on the menu this Christmas. Courtesy Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee has a special AZ Ruby Spanish Latte on the menu this Christmas. Courtesy Costa Coffee

Caffe Nero

Caffe Nero is serving luxury and salted caramel hot chocolates and salted caramel cappuccino this Christmas. For festive treats, you can sample the chocolate yule log and star-topped mince pies, as well as a pastrami and mental cheese toastie melt.

Treat yourself to Caffe Nero's salted caramel hot chocolate. Courtesy Caffe Nero
Treat yourself to Caffe Nero's salted caramel hot chocolate. Courtesy Caffe Nero

The J Cafe 

The J Cafe will be serving gingerbread lattes and toffee apple lattes from Sunday, November 17 for Dh10. We've heard it on good authority that they are "scrummy". Find The J Cafe in the homeware store store Jysk on Umm Suqeim Street and in Burjuman.

Tania's Teahouse

Homegrown Instagrammable cafe, Tania's Teahouse has a range of festive treats that fit the photogenic bill. Try the The S'mores The Merrier hot chocolate, homemade gingerbread latte, cinnamon dolce latte and Teas The Season (all Dh25). Plus, there is also a menu of cookies in the shape of snowmen, gingerbread houses and Christmas trees, which are also available for takeaway (Dh10 to 12 per cookie).

Photogenic seasonal offerings. Courtesy Tania's Teahouse
Photogenic seasonal offerings. Courtesy Tania's Teahouse

Caribou Coffee 

Head to Caribou for a malted mocha (from Dh22) this season, which you can sip as you tuck into a turkey sandwich with cranberry or gingerbread cookies. The Minnesotan coffee chain, with has a year-round wintry feel also sells festive merch, so you can pick yourself up a Christmassy KeepCup while you're there.

Caribou Coffee's seasonal malted mocha. Courtesy Caribou
Caribou Coffee's seasonal malted mocha. Courtesy Caribou

Tim Hortons 

Canadian coffee and doughnut chain is leaning into the holiday season with a toffee latte, gingerbread latte, toffee iced cappuccino and gingerbread iced cappuccino (all Dh19), they are also serving toffee muffins and ginger raisin muffins for Dh12 each, gingerbread men for Dh6 and toffee cookies for Dh10.

A gingerbread iced cappuccino. Courtesy Tim Hortons
A gingerbread iced cappuccino. Courtesy Tim Hortons

Starbucks 

The brand's famous red cups and Toffee Nut Lattes are back for the festive season. If you are not a coffee drinker, there is also the signature hot chocolate to try this Christmas. In line with more sustainable initiatives, this year the coffee giant is also selling reusable red cups, which are now in stores.

This year, Starbucks has reusable red cups. Courtesy Supplied
This year, Starbucks has reusable red cups. Courtesy Supplied

Nespresso 

A festive brew is not just to be had out and about, every year Nespresso launches holiday coffee pods, and 2019 is no different. Inspired by Scandinavian cultural trends of "Hygge" and "Fika", Nespresso has two new limited edition flavours, the Nordic almond cake and Nordic cloudberry. The almond cake variety features a combination of biscuit and vanilla aromas, with a Livanto coffee base, inspired by the traditional Norwegian cake, Kvæfjordkake. While the cloudberry pods have a sweet, jammy fruitiness, with a hint of acidity, over the same Livanto base.

Nespresso's seaonal flavours have been available since Thursday, October 31. Courtesy Nespresso
Nespresso's seaonal flavours have been available since Thursday, October 31. Courtesy Nespresso

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Read more:

2019 Christmas movies: the trailers are starting to drop 

The ultimate guide to shopping in Gothenburg 

Christmas food at Marks and Spencer in the UAE: festive Colin the Caterpillar now available in Dubai

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