Every autumn, Starbucks drops their seasonal fall drinks, storewide, and pumpkin lovers go crazy.
The fall drink menu consists of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte, Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Shaken Espresso, and the Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato. The fall breakfast items include the Baked Apple Croissant, the Pumpkin and Pepita Loaf, and the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin. The Starbucks cake pop of the season is a vanilla-flavored Owl cake pop.
Sartell Starbucks employee, Kayla Dougherty says that Thursdays are the busiest day of the week with their BOGO fall drink special. She also says the Pumpkin Spice Latte is the most popular drink on the menu. Kayla says that she prefers to substitute the whipped cream with the pumpkin cold foam but, there are multiple ways you can mix it up and make it your own.
I decided to try each of the main menu fall drinks. I did not, however, try the bakery items or the frappuccino’s because they give me an upset stomach. This is my honest review of each of the fall drinks after trying them in order from my favorite to my least favorite:
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Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte
This drink is my go-to fall drink and number one on my list. I always transition from the strawberry acai to the regular chai latte every fall, but with this new twist to it, it is 10x better. The pumpkin cold foam gives it the perfect blend of warm spices. You could even add a shot of espresso if you want more of a wake-up, but still want a chai. If you are looking to give it some more pizazz, try adding a caramel drizzle to it. I’ve tried it myself and it definitely makes it much sweeter, but I just love the look of it! If you already like the chai, give this one a try.
(Fair use photo from Starbucks)
This drink is very pretty. When they first hand it to you, you can see the beautiful layers of the cold brew and all of the cold foam trickling down throughout the drink. This coffee is the perfect mix of sweet and coffee. I’ve also tried it with 3 pumps of apple brown sugar, and it was so good! I prefer to still taste the coffee, so this is the perfect drink for me. I could drink this all the time if only they sold it year-round. I would have to say that this is my second favorite drink of the season.
I’ve tried this drink both iced and hot, and in my opinion, it is my third favorite item on the fall menu. It’s a sweeter coffee that really inhabits the fall essence. Although this is a basic drink, with every sip you are reminded of the warm and cozy vibes of autumn. Even though I love this drink, I would not want to drink it at any time other than September through early November. That gives me a good 2.5 months of enjoying the PSL (slang for pumpkin spice latte). So if you like sweeter coffee and getting whiplashed when you were a kid jumping in the leaves, this might be the drink for you.
Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato
I typically don’t like Macchiatos but this one was good! The apple really stood out. It does not taste artificial at all, so when you take a sip, it tastes like you unfused a honey crisp apple with espresso. Although, I’d say that I do not like this drink iced. When it’s iced, the apple flavor isn’t as prominent and all I can taste is the bitter coffee. This drink definitely is better for people who want fall drinks without having such a sweet tooth.
Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Shaken Espresso
This is not one of my favorites. I can barely taste the apple in this and it is very bitter. However, I had my friend who likes espresso take a sip and she loved it and claimed that she could really taste the apple. This leads me to believe that this drink is good if you like shaken espressos. So if you want to try this, go in with an open mind. I would also recommend swirling it, not shaking it, to mix everything together or you will make a mess. I am unfortunately speaking from experience.
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That was my take on each of the fall beverages from Starbucks!
In the end, I will be still sticking with the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte as my fall favorite, I will not be getting the Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Shaken Espresso anytime soon, and I found a new drink I love, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew.
Watch for my next article where I smell the new fall Bath and Body Works candles.
