It’s officially fall, which means Halloween, picturesque trees, and a dose of seasonal flavored coffee. Roseville’s local coffee spots, Dutch Bros, Peet’s Coffee, and Starbucks all showed promising seasonal drinks. However, after trying all of their “signature fall drinks,”  Starbucks’ classic Pumpkin Spice Latte topped the other drinks and restored the spirit of the new season.  

Prior to trying the drink, Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte has always been known as “moms’ favorite fall drink.” Knowing how pumpkin can be bitter if used wrong, we were expecting a sour drink of unsweetened coffee and pumpkin. What many don’t know is that the drink is perfect for the new season, and is definitely recommended for all ages. 

We are in love with this latte. 

After trying Peet’s Coffee Iced Maple Latte, we were disappointed when the maple was nonexistent, because the espresso overpowered it. The “fall” maple flavor was hidden.  In contrast, Starbucks gave us the pumpkin spice and coffee taste promised.. The pumpkin spice flavor was beautifully present in the drink, and was ribboned with their classic espresso flavor. There was nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon between sips, and the latte’s flavors were so accurate to the description Starbucks wrote about the drink. 

We all hate that sour aftertaste that some drinks carry, especially with coffee. 

Dutch Bros new Cinnamon Swirl Oat Milk Latte had a let down aftertaste, because the cinnamon, oat milk, and coffee were blended too much and we couldn’t sort out the flavors. However, the aftertaste of the pumpkin spice was almost better than the drink. You get more pumpkin in the aftertaste and it’s the cherry on top. The pumpkin was subtle in the beginning but really gave us a shock in the end. 

As for pricing, the tall (small) latte cost $4.25. It may seem like a lot of money for a small coffee, however, we thought every penny was worth it with the limited time frame of availability for the drink, and the A+ taste the latte delivered.

All in all, we wanted to try drinks that gave us a taste of “fall.” Though all the drinks were good, Starbucks carried through with everything.  Peet’s and Dutch Bros lacked in some of our criteria for the “perfect season drink.” Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte gave us a taste of bittersweet memories to the pumpkin patch, got us excited for the colder days to come, reminded our taste buds of classic fall flavors, and gave the season its yearly well deserved return.