Our reporter Charlotte Coles made it her mission in December to find the top spots for a festive latte in Oxford.
I am a big fan of coffee, especially festive coffees - because what better way is there to feel festive than to drink Christmas in a cup?
Therefore, I decided to find the best spots for festive coffees in Oxford city centre. To make it a fair comparison, I decided to go for gingerbread lattes - a Christmas classic and one of my favourites.
But I had a rule - I could only go to independent coffee shops in Oxford.
I’ve had a new found appreciation for independent shops since going to university in Bournemouth, which seemingly has more independent coffee shops than chains. Plus, I think it’s important to support local where we can, especially in the lead up to Christmas.
My order in every coffee shop I visited was an oat milk gingerbread latte to take away. I rated every place on the taste of the coffee, the price, the cup and the shop atmosphere.
Theo's Cafe
Location: Broad Street
The first stop was Theo's Cafe. I must say this was not a planned visit like a few of the other coffee shops were, but the Christmas decorations outside immediately caught my attention.
The location of this coffee shop is perfect at this time of year with the Christmas markets directly outside, making it the ideal place to sit down and escape the cold.
The inside of the shop was decorated amply and the staff were wearing Christmas jumpers. Feliz Navidad was also playing in the background which created a nice festive atmosphere.
There were no advertisements of festive lattes to be seen, which surprised me, but upon asking I found out they do indeed sell gingerbread lattes. This is your sign to always ask if they have your favourite drink, even if it's not obviously advertised at first.
The price of my coffee was £3.95, which I felt was pretty reasonable, especially with oat milk and syrup, which can often make coffee more expensive.
I was impressed with the amount of syrup in my coffee - not too much or little. This really did taste like Christmas in a cup.
The design of the cup was simple and sleek, and overall it was a very enjoyable festive coffee.
Columbia Coffee Roasters
Location: The Covered Market
The next stop was Columbia Coffee Roasters in The Covered Market, which has been voted Best Cafe in Oxford.
This location felt particularly festive, with the smell mulled wine filling the air. But I couldn't get distracted, because I was here for one thing and one thing only: COFFEE.
Bonus points for this place because they actually advertised gingerbread and pumpkin spiced lattes. However, the price of my coffee was £5.05, which felt slightly pricey.
But it did come with cinnamon sprinkled on top, which I felt was a very nice touch and made it feel very festive. Did it justify the price? I'm not sure. Did it make the experience more enjoyable? Definitely.
I thought the cup it came in was well designed and again, this had the perfect amount of syrup in.
I must add that my aim was to try all of the festive coffees in one day, but after two, I realised I may have had a heart attack if I had any more caffeine. I decided to return another day, which was certainly a wise decision.
Overall, slightly pricey, but it most certainly got the festive memo.
Coffeesmith
Location: Golden Cross
This was another new coffee spot for me, which is always exciting. This is set back a little, but with the help of Google Maps I found it in no time at all.
The shop had Christmas decorations inside and outside, and as I stepped inside I was hit with cosiness and warmth. It felt like the perfect place to chill and/or socialise. I also had no signal inside the shop, which is even better for switching off from the outside world.
This gingerbread latte had a bit more of a kick to it and was less sweet than the others. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if I'm ordering a gingerbread latte, I like it to be sweet.
It cost £4 which I felt was reasonable, but I did think the cup was quite basic and could have had a little more flair.
Art Cafe
Location: Bonn Square
This coffee was sweeter than Coffeesmith and very creamy which I loved.
It's in a great location too - directly opposite Westgate, perfect for anyone who is shopping and needs to take a break.
The price of this coffee was £4.40. I liked that the cup was very on brand, and the latte art was a nice addition.
The winner is...
Taking all factors into consideration, my winner would be Theo's Cafe.
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