Holiday Flavah

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm obsessed with special, holiday-centric flavors -- mint, pumpkin, etc. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, they're back! A roundup of some of the choice, limited-time-only fare out there (Granted, most are coffee-related. But read on):

:: Coffeemate has introduced several new holiday-themed creamers: Gingerbread, Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog. Tried the Gingerbread over the weekend -- so far, so good. A nice spice flavor. Available in grocery stores.

:: New at the Coffee Bean: Peppermint Ice Blended; White Chocolate Raspberry Latte; White Chocolate Raspberry Ice Blended; Raspberry Vanilla Tea Latte; and Winter Dream Tea Latte. The Peppermint Ice Blended and Winter Dream Latte return from last year, while the Raspberry drinks make their first appearance. I tried a White Chocolate Raspberry Latte over the weekend; good, but a little too sweet. Ultimately, the coffee flavor is completely masked -- which is not necessarily a good thing.

:: Joe first turned me on to Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte: "A delicious blend of pumpkin and traditional holiday spice flavors, combined with our signature espresso and freshly steamed milk, and topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spices." Pretty good. I've also come to rely on Starbucks' Gingerbread, Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog (a Tiffany Stone favorite) during the holidays.

:: And yes... my favorite M&Ms flavor is back. This year, they've renamed it "Mint Chocolate," but the taste is still the same. Of course, Maria and I bought enough Mint M&Ms during last year's post-holiday sales at Target that we still have some stored in the freezer. But I do highly recommend them -- and stashing a few for the rest of the year.

:: Almost forgot: Pepsi has come out with a limited-time Holiday concoction, Pepsi Holiday Spice. It's Pepsi, "with a hint of cinnamon and ginger." Haven't tried it yet; any guinea pigs out there?