Last month, I shared with you how a version of my current favorite Starbucks drink turned out to be the featured drink for the Month of Love, the Raspberry Truffle Mocha. As it turns out, Starbucks is making me want to revisit my old favorite drink, the Caramel Macchiato, as it is one of two featured drinks this month. The other one is the Hazelnut Macchiato, and there’s actually an ongoing competition between the two—and those who voted for the winning team are in for a treat! Learn more about that promo as you read on, and allow me to share my thoughts on both drinks below, as well as the food offerings. Find out if I’m still Team Caramel Macchiato—or if my loyalty somehow wavered.

Which Macchiato are you: Team Caramel or Team Hazelnut?

According to the guide in Starbucks stores, Hazelnut Macchiato is what you get when you’re the type who enjoys sitting around a campfire and watching dogs in the park, loves following a fun trend, and goes beyond the status quo. Meanwhile, Caramel Macchiato lovers are the types who grin from ear to ear and those who seek fun, the comfort of an old favorite, and all things sweet and lovable.

As mentioned, by default, I’m Team Caramel Macchiato, as it’s been my go-to Starbucks drink for the longest time. Combining freshly steamed milk with an intense hit of their signature espresso topped with velvety rich foam and buttery caramel drizzle (light brown), it’s definitely comfort drink material. This is my comfort zone. When I can’t decide what to drink, I usually get this because it’s reliably sweet and delightful, and it wakes me up all right. Naturally, this is what I voted in the poll, expecting that this would be the winning drink.

However, I wondered why Hazelnut Macchiato turned out to be leading in the poll, at 66% versus Caramel’s 34% as of press time. So, for the sake of objectivity, fairness, and research, I tried the Hazelnut…and enjoyed it! I now get why it’s so popular. Allow me to be balimbing, as I wish it stays on the menu. Starbucks Coffee’s velvety steamed milk is combined with their signature rich espresso shot and toasty hazelnut flavor. The drink is then finished with a drizzle of hazelnut-flavored sauce (darker brown). What you get is a rich, bold, and dark drink with just the right sweetness. I usually shy away from food and drinks that have an obvious nutty taste to it, but in this case, I enjoyed the well-balanced flavor of hazelnut and coffee, which are equally pronounced.

Maybe I’m just at that point in my life when I want things less sweet, more flavourful and bold—which is what this drink is. I tried both hot and iced versions, and found them both delightful in different ways: It’s refreshing when Iced, while the hot Hazelnut Macchiato is calming, soothing, and a great drink for an afternoon spent writing, which I did yesterday.

You can get either Macchiato versions Hot or Iced at P135 for short, P145 for Tall, P160 for Grande, and P170 for Venti.

And the winning team will get…Starbucks Macchiato Monday!

From now until Thursday, March 5, Starbucks Philippines will run an online poll to ask Facebook fans which of the two featured Macchiato beverages is their favorite: Team Caramel or Team Hazelnut. The winning Macchiato beverage will be announced on Friday, March 6, via Starbucks Philippines’ Facebook Page and through the Daily Offerings Board in Starbucks stores.

The winning Macchiato beverage will be celebrated with a special Macchiato Buy One, Get One event, Macchiato Monday, on March 9, 2015 in all Starbucks stores nationwide. This is valid only for the winning Macchiato beverage (hot and iced, of any size), and cannot be combined with other offers or promotions. However, a beverage star will be given for the purchased beverage when paid using the Starbucks Card.

New Starbucks Card

And speaking of the card, they have a new one: The Spring Card! I love its bright and colorful floral design. You can be sure this will be the latest addition to my collection of Starbucks Cards issued in the Philippines. It’s now available for a minimum consumable load of P300.

New food items (available until April 20, 2015)

You can also look forward to the new food offerings on the display case in every Starbucks store. I was able to try a couple of them, which I wrote reviews of below. Click through the gallery to see details of the other new food items, too!

I tried the Chicken BBQ Wrap (P175) for lunch, and found that it’s a great light meal or heavy snack. Aside from its generous helping of chicken breast fillet cubes, the tortilla is oozing with mozzarella, which somehow tamed the slight heat from the smoky barbecue sauce. The spice of the sauce isn’t too bold anyway, and it’s neither too sweet nor too sour—just right. There is added sweetness from the corn slaw, too. Even with the interplay of savory flavors, you can still really taste the meatiness of the tender, well-cooked chicken. It’s best served warm.

Then for dessert, I tried their Blueberry Dome Cake (P150/slice, P1,400/whole), which attracted me at first glance with its huge size and generous dotting of fresh blueberries. I had to eat it in layers, because the generous slice you get is also very thick and tall. I first had a bite of the moist and lightly buttery cake, followed by the sweet blueberry mousse filling with a graham core that provided much of the sweetness that isn’t cloying. It’s topped with light blueberry cream icing and bits of nuts. While this delightful cake is not nakakaumay, you should definitely share a slice with someone, as I had a hard time finishing the huge slice on my own.

Click on each image below for a closer look and description of other food items now available in Starbucks.