Your Festive Coffee Guide: Warming Drinks for the Season

The festive season is here. Christmas markets are popping up, the lights are going on and diaries are filling with carol services, winter walks and get-togethers. Here's our guide to the season's best coffees, a few tips on how to keep warm while you're out enjoying it all, and our decadent mocha made with Festive Edition single-origin Rwanda coffee.

And because we're a coffee company, we couldn't resist sharing our decadent winter mocha, made with our Festive Edition single-origin Rwanda coffee.

How to keep warm on festive days out

Layer up for Christmas markets and winter walks: several thin layers trap more warm air than one thick jumper, and gloves, a hat and warm socks make a big difference. And a warm drink in hand is always welcome when you're out in the cold.

Coffee, the taste of the festive season

From the first spiced latte of December to the cafetière on Christmas morning, coffee is woven into the festive season. It's what we share at Christmas markets, sip between present-wrapping and pour at festive catch-ups with friends.

But festive coffee is about more than flavour. It's a pause in a busy season, a catch-up with a colleague, or a small act of kindness when you buy one for someone else.

A few ways to give your coffee a festive twist:

• Warm your mug first. Swirl some hot water in it before you pour, so your coffee stays hotter for longer.
• Go creamy. Steamed or frothed milk (dairy or oat) turns an everyday brew into a treat.
• Add a little spice. A pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg or a strip of orange peel brings instant festive flavour.
• Choose a coffee worth savouring. A single-origin coffee like our Festive Edition Rwanda gives you a cup with real character, perfect for slow winter mornings.

Meet Festive Edition: our single-origin Rwanda coffee

Our Festive Edition is a single-origin coffee from Rwanda. Single origin means every bean comes from one place, so each cup carries the character of where it was grown, rather than being blended away.

Rwanda's high-altitude farms are known for producing standout coffees, and this one has the depth to hold its own against milk and chocolate. That's exactly why we chose it for our festive mocha.

Five festive coffees to try this season

1. The decadent mocha. Coffee, melted dark chocolate and steamed milk. Full recipe below.
2. Spiced cafetière. Add a cinnamon stick and a couple of cloves to your grounds before brewing for a gently spiced cup.
3. Orange and nutmeg latte. Warm your milk with a strip of orange peel, then finish with a grating of nutmeg.
4. The cortado. Equal parts espresso and warm milk: small, strong and ready in minutes between festive errands.
5. Brown sugar and cinnamon coffee. Inspired by Mexican café de olla, stir brown sugar and cinnamon into a strong brew for a sweet, warming hug in a mug.

Want to go all out? Here's our favourite festive treat.

Recipe: our decadent festive mocha

Rich, velvety and properly chocolatey, this mocha is made with our Festive Edition single-origin Rwanda coffee. It's the perfect festive treat to share with friends and family.

Serves 2 · Ready in 10 minutes

You'll need

• 2 double shots of espresso, or 150ml strong brewed Festive Edition Rwanda coffee (cafetière or moka pot)
• 50g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1–2 tsp brown sugar, to taste
• 400ml whole milk or oat milk
• A small pinch of sea salt
• Whipped cream, to top
• Grated chocolate and a pinch of cinnamon, to finish

Method

1. Brew your Festive Edition Rwanda coffee, nice and strong. For a cafetière, use around 15g of ground coffee to 150ml of water just off the boil and steep for 4 minutes.
2. Gently warm the milk in a saucepan over a low-medium heat until steaming, but don't let it boil.
3. Add the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar and salt to the pan. Whisk until the chocolate has melted and the milk is smooth and glossy.
4. Pour in the coffee and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to create a light froth.
5. Divide between two warmed mugs, top with whipped cream, then finish with grated chocolate and a dusting of cinnamon.

Make it even more festive: add a strip of orange zest to the milk while it warms, or swap the cinnamon for a little nutmeg. For a dairy-free version, use oat milk, dairy-free chocolate and coconut whipped cream.

Keeping warm isn't easy for everyone

Not everyone can turn up the heating or step inside when the temperature drops. Homelessness isn't only sleeping rough: it also means living in hostels, temporary accommodation or on a friend's sofa, often without a warm, secure place to call your own. For many people, winter is the hardest time of year.

That's why every cup of Change Please coffee does more than warm you up. We're a B Corp social enterprise that trains and employs people who have experienced homelessness as baristas, helping them into work and a home of their own.

This Christmas, our message is simple: Change their winter, please. Profits from our Christmas greeting cards go to Driving for Change, providing socks, gloves and scarves to people sleeping rough this winter.

If you see someone sleeping rough in the cold, you can let local outreach teams know. In England and Wales, StreetLink connects people sleeping rough with local services.

Subscribe and get a free bag of Festive Edition

Make sure your festive season is never short of good coffee.

Subscribe to any coffee on our website (excluding our Adventurous subscription) and we'll send you a free bag of Festive Edition single-origin Rwanda coffee, so you can make our decadent mocha for yourself.

Freshly roasted coffee, delivered to your door, with every bag supporting people out of homelessness. Enjoy the season, and help change someone's winter too.

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