We Tried Chick-Fil-A's Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee + Peppermint Iced Coffee And Only Liked One Of Them

As the holiday season nears, so does the return of Chick-fil-A's adored Peppermint Chip Milkshake, now in its 15th year of bringing cheer. Along for the holiday sleigh ride this year, and hoping to also slay appetites in a fresh and refreshing way, are two new minty and perhaps peppy items to compli-mint the shake — the Peppermint Iced Coffee and Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee.  

This new milky drink and creamy dessert both look tall, dark, and handsome and offer alternative ways and takes on a very wintry flavor. Will the Peppermint Iced Coffee and Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee bring about even more holiday cheer, or will they leave customers rather salty? I jetted on over to my local Chick-fil-A to take many sips and see where the truth lies. Here is my minty fresh chew and review!

The photo on the app of the Peppermint Iced Coffee showed a clear cup with milk beautifully swirling through the coffee.  At first glance of my cup, that imagery was hidden from view. Chick-fil-A now delivers drinks such as these in sleek, new white cups with a sleeve that keeps the contents insulated and a mystery of what's to come. Popping off the plastic lid reveals nothing out of the ordinary, just a pool of mocha milky liquid, keeping a lot of shiny pellet ice afloat. So far, so normal.

Sadly, things turned abnormal from there. While it smelled simply like sweetened coffee, the initial sip brought a wicked rush of foul-play sugariness to my mouth. When the flavoring kicked in soon after, so did confusion, as I tried to figure out why it didn't taste like a candy cane coffee and instead something rather vile. What was that odd taste ruining the coffee? Was it artificial peppermint syrup? Rubbing alcohol? Actual alcohol? Several sips later didn't bring about any conclusions, other than to stop drinking this liquid lump of coal as soon as humanly possible. Yikes!

With the Peppermint Iced Coffee being such a misfire, my expectations for the Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee were set lower than pine needles that have fallen from a Christmas tree. Removing this treat's lid showed off mini-mountain peaks of various shades of white and brown, and the mixing of the two. Appearing more like a chocolate Frosty from Wendy's, the feeling of having a frosty reception to this one started to slowly melt away.

Placing a straw into the frosted coffee and moving it about showed that it was in a state between mildly frozen and mostly liquid. With trepidation, I took my first taste of the Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee — all fears of a second disaster were extinguished in a split second, as it instantly proved to be a keeper. With a hint of mint chocolate, but not really any peppermint, this just tasted like a solid coffee ice cream slushie that would work well in any of the year's four seasons.

The Peppermint Iced Coffee blends together a custom cold-brewed coffee, 2% milk, peppermint syrup, citric acid, natural peppermint flavor, sodium benzoate as a preservative, pure cane syrup (pure cane sugar, water), partly skimmed milk, vitamin A palmitate, and vitamin D3. A single cup of this coffee nets 200 calories, 2 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 70 milligrams of sodium, 44 grams of carbohydrates, with 34 dedicated to sugars, and 3 grams of protein.

The Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee brings together Chick-fil-A's standard Icedream, coffee, peppermint syrup, and peppermint twist, which contains natural peppermint oil, confectionery coating, whey powder, soy lecithin, and powdered sugar. One serving has 430 calories, 9 grams of total fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 170 milligrams of sodium, 83 grams of total carbohydrates, with 1 gram of dietary fiber, 68 grams of sugars, and 7 grams of protein. It includes both milk and soy products.

Both the Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee and Peppermint Iced Coffee, along with the Peppermint Chip Milkshake, are limited-time-only offerings. They are available at participating Chick-fil-A locations through January 6, 2024, or while supplies last. Prices may vary per location, but I paid $4.49 for the coffee and $6.09 for the frosted treat at my local Chick-fil-A in New York City.

The holiday menu items are found under the "Limited Time Flavor" menu, however, you can also find the Iced Coffee under the "Beverages" menu and the Frosted Coffee on the "Treats" menu. They can be ordered in-store at the register or kiosk, or via the drive-thru. Advance ordering for pick-up or delivery, where available, can be placed through the Chick-fil-A app or online. The iced coffee has customization options that include adding half & half and sugar.

The weather outside may not currently be so frightful, but that hasn't stopped anyone — or any company — from breaking out the holiday cheer early, and often. While it's nice to see the Peppermint Chip Milkshake being hand-spun at Chick-fil-A again, it's a case of mixed emotions when it comes to the two new peppermint items the chain just introduced.

For the Peppermint Iced Coffee, the less said about it the better. I didn't want to be this naughty towards this drink, but it left me with no real choice as it wasn't really all that nice. After the bad taste left it left in my mouth, it was a great relief to try the Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee next. This treat was very enjoyable, and certainly a cool one to warm up to. However, with a lack of a strong peppermint taste, I'm not so sure the treats make the season any merrier.  Still, the Frosted Peppermint Chip Coffee wouldn't be out of place in any season, so we should cheer for it being here now. 

Maybe next year Chick-fil-A can punch up its holiday spirit and add a straw that both looks and tastes like a peppermint candy cane. Is it too early to ask Santa about gifts for 2024?