Fall is one of the most anticipated seasons, especially for coffee shops with the return of the seasonal favorite: a pumpkin spice latte. Every day, students come to school with drinks from coffee shops all local to West Morris Central: Starbucks, Dunkin’, and The Coffee Potter. But with all these local options all offering the same fall refreshment, which cafe has the best pumpkin spice latte?
This fall, many coffee businesses have different additions to their fall menus and different customizations that can be made to these drinks, but the classic pumpkin spice latte remains the same. Some West Morris Central students and I had the opportunity to try one from each of these locations with no extra spice or pumps, just a regular pumpkin spice latte. Here is the breakdown of each drink:
The first pumpkin spice latte I ordered was from Starbucks. For a tall hot pumpkin spice latte, I paid $6.13 with tax, making it my most expensive option. Senior Francesca Gilberti reported that she could “really taste the pumpkin” in this drink and the overall consensus was that this is a very sweet drink. Despite the price, this was an overall great latte, being a true embodiment of fall and a perfect mix of sweetness and spice.
Switching to Dunkin’s latte, I ordered a small hot “Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte” and paid $4.89. It was my cheapest drink and was an excellent coffee, but did not have enough pumpkin flavor. Gilberti stated that this drink had “more of a coffee flavor in comparison to the Starbucks” latte. Interestingly, sophomore Bella Cryan also took note of the coffee flavor, but found there to be more of a pumpkin flavor than the Coffee Potter’s latte. There was very little spice to it, which is typically appreciated in a pumpkin spice latte. The drink was a delicious, sweet latte, it just lacked the fall flavor.
Finally, at the Coffee Potter, I got a hot pumpkin spice latte for $5.06. One experience I had here was that they asked me if I wanted whipped cream and spices added to it, while the other locations provided them in the original order. Similar to Dunkin’, this drink made for a great coffee, however the pumpkin was too subtle, making it more of a latte than a PSL.
When taking all three drinks into consideration, the overall ranking, almost unanimous, was that Starbucks was the best, then Dunkin’, then Coffee Potter. The one contrasting opinion was given by senior Addie Faulkner. She believed Coffee Potter had the best pumpkin spice latte because she liked that it was not too sweet.
All three of these drinks were well-made and well-regarded, however the Starbucks drink did the best job capturing the essence of fall. From the sweet flavor to the cinnamon spices, Starbucks is the best option in flavor. However, each drink shines in its own way. When looking for a cheaper option, Dunkin’ is the best way to go. When a less sugary option is desired, the Coffee Potter is a great option as well. Each drink has its own benefits and are great for getting in the fall spirit.
