Christmas Drinks - A Slippery Slope to Heart Disease?

For the third year in a row, I want to make it my mission to expose the high sugar levels in our beloved festive hot drinks. I, as much as the next person love the feeling of a warm, red cup between my wind-chilled fingers, but as with everything moderation is the key. According to the British Coffee Association, 80% of people who visit coffee shops do so at least once a week. If, during the festive season, they switch their usual black coffee for a festive treat they could be upping their calorie, saturated fat and sugar intake by a staggering amount.

Last year I found that out of the 23 drinks I looked at, 15 had more than 30g of sugar in them, the rough NHS recommended daily allowance. I wonder, with the push on lowering the sugar content in drinks becoming stronger than ever before from a public perspective, whether any of the major coffee retailers have made an effort to remove the excessive amount of white stuff from their drinks. 

How much sugar is in Christmas drinks 2019?

Another year of results and another year of disappointment. In 2019, out of the 32 drinks I examined, 19 contained over the recommended daily sugar allowance. And, of the 13 drinks with less, only one had under 20 grams of the white stuff. 

However, despite the sugar content showing no clear signs of improvement, something I do have to applaud is how many of the drinks are under 200 calories per serving. A conscious step in the right direction, or a lucky coincidence, it’s hard to tell. But it’s encouraging to see the numbers in at least one of these columns going down.

Which 2019 Christmas drink has the most sugar?

• Caffe Nero – Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – 59.3g
• Caffe Nero – Caramelised Almond Hot Chocolate – 58.7g
• Caffe Nero - Hazelnut Hot Chocolate – 58.4g
• Starbucks – Gingerbread Coffee Frappuccino – 57.0g
• Starbucks – Toffee Nut Coffee Frappuccino – 56.8g
• Caffe Nero – Ginger Hot Chocolate – 54.8g

Topping the leader board for a second year running with the most sugar content is Caffe Nero, who have managed to take the top three slots with their festive hot chocolate range. Interestingly, although all four flavours are new this year, Caffe Nero also topped the list with their Hot Chocolates last year – one impressively boasted over 74 grams of sugar.

At the other end of the table Costa take the two lowest slots with their Irish Velvet Cappuccino and Gingerbread and Cream Latte. Pret’s Gingerbread Latte also ranks well with 22.2g of sugar, which in contrast to the rest of this list is quite positive (although still over two-thirds of your daily allowance!)

So, it seems if you are looking for low sugar, you’re more likely to find it with a burgundy logo whereas if you’re looking to avoid high-sugar drinks, steering clear of Nero’s Hot Chocolate range is a must.

Which 2019 Christmas drink has the most saturated fats?

Something that I don’t discuss as much as the importance of sugar-free is saturated fats. This year, Caffe Nero’s Hot Chocolate range also managed to take the mantle as the worst. Current NHS guidelines say that men should look to not consume more than 30g of sat fats a day, whereas women shouldn’t have more than 20g. However, exactly half of the drinks I looked at ended up in the teens.

For those who are trying to cut down on their saturated fats, you’ll be pleased to know that the Costa Spiced Apple comes in at a fantastic 0.2gs (although, it does still contain over 26g of sugar!)

Christmas is already an indulgent time of year for many, and these sugar-laden festive drinks won’t help. I’m disappointed that this year it seems no coffee retailers felt it may be good to look at adding a healthier option to their menu, but I suppose it’s hard to stray from what we know works. I’m glad that at least for other festive occasions products like my own Kolibri can offer a low-sugar solution for those who want it.

About the Author:

Kamila is a bestselling author of  “Bespoke. How to radically grow your bar and restaurant business through personalisation”, and passionate trend-spotter for the UK Eating Out market with thousands of followers on her widely popular blog www.Bespoke.World

With a decade of hands-on experience collaborating with hospitality influencers and insight experts and background in setting strategies for leading brands, Kamila has become the industry champion for truly bespoke and guest-centric experiences.