Hazelnuts take centre stage in Barista's limited-edition festive menu
With a dense nutrient profile, hazelnuts are one of the most heart-supportive nuts.
- Dec 17, 2025,
- Updated Dec 17, 2025 11:47 AM IST
Winter has a way of reshaping how we eat and drink. Coffee is lingered over, desserts are chosen with more care, and indulgence becomes less about excess and more about comfort. This season, Barista Coffee Company is leaning into this shift with their limited-edition menu built around hazelnuts.
Launched in collaboration with Hazelnuts for India, the campaign titled “Go HazelNUTS with Barista” runs across 150 cafés in India’s major metro cities from December through February. On the surface, it is a festive menu. Look closer, and it signals something more telling about how Indian café culture is evolving.
The unveiling at Barista’s flagship café in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi was like a quiet reintroduction to winter comfort. The space was warm with the smell of coffee and toasted nuts. During the tastings, the attention was to texture and flavour. Hazelnuts, after all, are not flashy. They are subtle, rounded, and familiar in a way that feels reassuring. Nutritionally, they sit comfortably at the intersection of health and indulgence, rich in good fats, fibre, and antioxidants, making them especially relevant in a moment when consumers are seeking pleasure without excess. In cafés, that balance matters.
"In a country where pollution, stress and sedentary routines are silently straining our bodies, hazelnuts offer a simple, powerful nutritional intervention. Their dense nutrient profile supports the body long before symptoms appear,” says Kavita Devgan, Dietician and Holistic Health Counsellor.
She highlights how hazelnuts are one of the most heart-supportive nuts. This is due to the high monounsaturated fat content that helps lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) while preserving the healthy HDL (good cholesterol) —an essential balance most urban Indians struggle with today.
The menu reflects this restraint. A Hazelnut Dry Latte lets the nut’s natural creaminess soften the sharp edges of espresso. The Hazelnut Crunchy Frappe plays with contrast, cold and smooth against toasted crunch, without tipping into over-sweetness. In the dessert line-up, a Hazelnut Matcha Tea Cake nods to global café trends, the hazelnut brownies are a tasty treat replacing the classic walnut flavour while a Hazelnut Chocolate Tart offers depth while lingering on the palate.
Each item is built around premium-quality hazelnuts, chosen as much for texture as for flavour. It’s a reminder that ingredient-led menus depend less on novelty and more on sourcing and restraint.
For Hazelnuts for India, the collaboration is part of a longer effort to reposition hazelnuts beyond occasional luxury and into everyday consumption. “We want guests to experience hazelnuts in multiple forms—in their coffee, in their desserts, and in their everyday indulgences, offering a healthy indulgent twist to their choices,” said Mansi Ahuja, Hazelnuts India Representative, AMPRO Marketing. The emphasis, she noted, is on discovery without intimidation: indulgence that feels natural, even habitual.
Barista, meanwhile, is continuing a strategy it has quietly refined over the years, using seasonal menus to stay relevant without chasing trends too aggressively. CEO Rajat Agrawal described the hazelnut offerings as an extension of the brand’s long-standing focus on flavour experimentation. The goal, he said, is not reinvention but elevation: making everyday café visits feel considered, especially during the festive months when expectations are higher. “At Barista, we’re committed to pushing boundaries and creating café experiences that feel both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly new,” said Agarwal.
There is also a business logic at work. Seasonal menus encourage repeat visits, while ingredient-focused collaborations help brands tell clearer stories about quality, sourcing, and intent. In a crowded café market, that clarity can be as valuable as novelty.
What makes this menu resonate is its understanding of the moment. As café-goers become more ingredient-aware and wellness-conscious, indulgence is no longer about abundance. It’s more about balance, texture, and warmth especially with setting in.
Winter has a way of reshaping how we eat and drink. Coffee is lingered over, desserts are chosen with more care, and indulgence becomes less about excess and more about comfort. This season, Barista Coffee Company is leaning into this shift with their limited-edition menu built around hazelnuts.
Launched in collaboration with Hazelnuts for India, the campaign titled “Go HazelNUTS with Barista” runs across 150 cafés in India’s major metro cities from December through February. On the surface, it is a festive menu. Look closer, and it signals something more telling about how Indian café culture is evolving.
The unveiling at Barista’s flagship café in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi was like a quiet reintroduction to winter comfort. The space was warm with the smell of coffee and toasted nuts. During the tastings, the attention was to texture and flavour. Hazelnuts, after all, are not flashy. They are subtle, rounded, and familiar in a way that feels reassuring. Nutritionally, they sit comfortably at the intersection of health and indulgence, rich in good fats, fibre, and antioxidants, making them especially relevant in a moment when consumers are seeking pleasure without excess. In cafés, that balance matters.
"In a country where pollution, stress and sedentary routines are silently straining our bodies, hazelnuts offer a simple, powerful nutritional intervention. Their dense nutrient profile supports the body long before symptoms appear,” says Kavita Devgan, Dietician and Holistic Health Counsellor.
She highlights how hazelnuts are one of the most heart-supportive nuts. This is due to the high monounsaturated fat content that helps lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) while preserving the healthy HDL (good cholesterol) —an essential balance most urban Indians struggle with today.
The menu reflects this restraint. A Hazelnut Dry Latte lets the nut’s natural creaminess soften the sharp edges of espresso. The Hazelnut Crunchy Frappe plays with contrast, cold and smooth against toasted crunch, without tipping into over-sweetness. In the dessert line-up, a Hazelnut Matcha Tea Cake nods to global café trends, the hazelnut brownies are a tasty treat replacing the classic walnut flavour while a Hazelnut Chocolate Tart offers depth while lingering on the palate.
Each item is built around premium-quality hazelnuts, chosen as much for texture as for flavour. It’s a reminder that ingredient-led menus depend less on novelty and more on sourcing and restraint.
For Hazelnuts for India, the collaboration is part of a longer effort to reposition hazelnuts beyond occasional luxury and into everyday consumption. “We want guests to experience hazelnuts in multiple forms—in their coffee, in their desserts, and in their everyday indulgences, offering a healthy indulgent twist to their choices,” said Mansi Ahuja, Hazelnuts India Representative, AMPRO Marketing. The emphasis, she noted, is on discovery without intimidation: indulgence that feels natural, even habitual.
Barista, meanwhile, is continuing a strategy it has quietly refined over the years, using seasonal menus to stay relevant without chasing trends too aggressively. CEO Rajat Agrawal described the hazelnut offerings as an extension of the brand’s long-standing focus on flavour experimentation. The goal, he said, is not reinvention but elevation: making everyday café visits feel considered, especially during the festive months when expectations are higher. “At Barista, we’re committed to pushing boundaries and creating café experiences that feel both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly new,” said Agarwal.
There is also a business logic at work. Seasonal menus encourage repeat visits, while ingredient-focused collaborations help brands tell clearer stories about quality, sourcing, and intent. In a crowded café market, that clarity can be as valuable as novelty.
What makes this menu resonate is its understanding of the moment. As café-goers become more ingredient-aware and wellness-conscious, indulgence is no longer about abundance. It’s more about balance, texture, and warmth especially with setting in.