Starbucks Coffee’s latest debut, the chestnut praline latte, provides a delicious addition to the existing holiday beverage menu, but comes at a price.

After unveiling the first new holiday drink in five years, Starbucks described their new latte as “a blend of fresh espresso and flavors of caramelized chestnuts, with freshly steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and spiced praline crumbs.” Despite my unfamiliarity with the flavor of actual chestnuts, the description stands as relatively accurate. In short, its taste combines many traditional holiday flavors and provides a warm and cozy feeling. In fact, drinking the latte may even evoke a vivid mental picture of sitting by a toasty fire in the middle of a snowstorm wearing a fuzzy sweater.

In a more concrete sense, the chestnut praline latte provides a dark roast flavor with sugary accents. Also, nutty overtones set the drink apart from its fellow holiday beverages, the gingerbread latte, peppermint mocha, and caramel brulee latte. On the other hand, the latte tastes strikingly similar to the traditional hazelnut latte, but with an added hint of caramel. The beverage is composed of the classic steamed milk and espresso blend, topped with crushed spiced pralines and gives customers a sweet taste that does not overwhelm.

Even more impressive than the taste though, may be the chestnut praline latte’s decadent aroma. As a fan of the classic coffee scent, the added sugary sweetness made me want to buy an additional latte to place in my room as an air freshener. Before even taking a sip, the smell of the chestnut praline latte proved enticing.

A typical grande sized chestnut praline latte will set you back almost $5, a ridiculous expense for a typical coffee drinker, but not a surprise to Starbucks regulars like myself. Keeping in mind handcrafted beverages require more time and effort to make, the price does not stand extreme. Needless to say, the latte may set coffee-drinkers back a fair amount of cash, but it will be worth it. The delicious tastes of chestnuts and pralines will soon alleviate the pain in your aching wallet. As a matter of fact, I will probably be back tomorrow for another because it is just that delicious.

The Chant’s grade: A-