Scarves, flannels, and boots, oh my! There is no better scenery than during fall when the leaves are changing, and the cool breeze from the brisk air give you a perfect excuse to wear your newest fall scarf or gloves. While fall can be known for apple orchards and pumpkin patches, who could forget about the seasonal coffee that starts to brew at every coffee shop. The Pumpkin Spice Latte (also known as the PSL) has become a growing phenomenon, taking the place as the most popular fall drink. This seasonal drink has many coffee lovers stopping in every morning to not only enjoy the taste of fall, but also to inhale the wonderful cinnamon smell.
With Iowa City having multiple coffee shops downtown, I felt as though it was my duty to try every pumpkin spice latte and see which one holds up to the hype. All these reviews will be based off the cold version of pumpkin spice lattes. With that said, lets jump Ugg first into the frist coffee.
1. Starbucks
My first stop had to be Starbucks just because Starbucks is known to have a pretty killer PSL. Walking in, I could tell that the drink was a hit because cinnamon was the first thing I smelled when stepping through the doors. Starbucks offers a hot or iced Pumpkin Spice, but to make things even more exciting, they now offer a pumpkin cream cold brew. Although this is not the typical pumpkin spice, the hype of the new fall flavor inspired me to get it.
Starbucks says the drink is made with espresso, milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, plus topped with whip cream and pumpkin spices on top. When taking my first sip, the drink tasted like a cup of coffee with vanilla mixed in. The aftertaste was when the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin came into play. The common complain about the normal iced PSL is that it is too sweet. I found the cold brew to be less creamy and sugary. It has a light texture and to my surprise I drank the whole thing. Overall the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is not too sweet, but still has that coffee taste that people look for when drinking coffee. So far, this coffee tasing thing wasn’t going too bad.
2. Caribou Coffee
Caribou Coffee has multiple fall flavored drinks. From Pumpkin White Mocha, Pumpkin Pie, and Spiced Pumpkin Infused, I had a hard time choosing which one to taste. I decided to go with the original Iced Pumpkin Pie Latte. The description of the drink is espresso with real pumpkin served with cold milk over ice. The ingredients were definetely less complicated than Starbucks and was based more solely on the pumpkin flavor.
When having a sip, I was taken aback by the pumpkin flavor. The drink was straightforward and only tasted like pumpkin. They succeeded in making sure you could taste the pumpkin flavor, but I was not impressed by the drink. I thought maybe adding more spices would make the drink better, because just the pumpkin and the espresso together was not doing it for me. When reading reviews, people preferred the hot pumpkin pie drink over the iced due to the warm milk making the pumpkin taste more appealing. Overall I would not try this again, and in fact I do not plan on it.
3. Dunkin
The next drink is the new Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Latte from Dunkin Donuts. This drink comes either hot or cold. It features pumpkin and cinnamon flavors with espresso and milk topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and cinnamon sugar topping. My first sip consisted of a strong cinnamon taste. There was an abundance of cinnamon sugar, but it mellowed out the strong pumpkin flavor. I think this drink did a great job at balancing out the two flavors of cinnamon and sugar.
The best part was when the whip cream melted into the drink with the caramel syrup. I actually found this drink really appealing and I was surprised to see myself continuing to go back for another sip. I highly recommend this drink, as it did not disappoint. The flavors all worked so well with each other, and I actually ended up going back the next day for another taste.
4. The Java House
JavaHouse is my go to study place, beause I love the wonderful smell of the espresso in the mornings. Even though coffee isn’t my typical drink of choice, the smell is still wonderful and, to my belief, does the same job of waking me up in the moring just like atually drinking coffee does. Java House’s seasonal fall drinks have been very popluar, and much more talked about than in the previous years. With three different drinks, I was tempted to try the Caramel Apple Cider, but since this is a cofee review I went with the Sweet Cream Iced Cofee.
The artisian coffee topped with a layer of velvity sweet cream. Althought this drink has no pumpkin or cinamon flavoring in it, Java House did a great job with still creating that fall appeal in a drink. My first sip left me with a cream mustahce. The Sweet Cream drink was just okay in my opinion. For someone who enjoys fall coffee drinks, but is looking for something simple, this drink is calling your name. Overall, the drink is more on coffee taste than flavor, so I did not enjoy this drink compared to the other drinks I tried.
5. Cortado
Around this time of my review, the weather during the week was very chilly. As I made my way downtown to Cortado, my hands were very cold because I had forgotten gloves (silly me I know). When I arrived, I saw their seasonal fall menu displayed; Salted Caramel Cold Brew, Pumpkin Pie Latte, and Apple Cider. With my hands frozen… I took a leap of faith and decided to try the Pumpkin Pie Latte. I ordered my drink and watched as my drink came to life. When I was handed my cup, my hands started to dethaw right away. The hot drink smelled wonderful from the pumpkin spice.
Taking my first sip, I was nervous, beause I didn’t know how I would react to it. I enjoyed the pumpkin and a little cinnamon flavor. I do not know what exactly was put into the drink, but from my knowledge I tasted cinnamon and mostly pumpkin. The steamed milk and the hot espresso was something I didn’t really enjoy. I think I realized I do not like hot coffee due to how the espresso tastes when warm. To my surprise though, I was not dissapointed in the drink, and if you are someone who prepers hot cofee over iced coffee, then you would love this drink. The flavors blend well together and on the bright side, I gained feeling in my hands after this drink.
6. Panera Bread
When in the Pedestrian Mall one day, I saw a sign about Panera’s new fall menu. Since I hadn’t tried a cofee that day, I took a detour to check it out. Panera offers: Cinnamon Spice Cold Brew made with cold brew, half and half, and cinnamon syrup, a Cinnamon Spice Latte consiting of espresso, foamed milk, and cinnamon flavor as well. Who could forget about the two desserts Panera also offers – a Cinnamon Apple Scone and an Apple Pie Thumbprint Cookie.
Since I had not eaten breakfast yet, I ordered the Cinnamon Spice Cold Brew and the Cinnamon Apple Scone. With the Cold Brew being mixed with the cinnamon flavor and half and half before being poured over ice, I thought the flavors were all mixed well and worked well with eachother. I actaully enjoyed the drink, and to top it off, the scone was delicious. When tasting the scone, the apple flavor was present, but the cinnamon filling and carmel icing was to die for! The scone was freshly baked and was easy to pull apart. The two matched perfectly together, and I really enjoyed the cold brew. I enjoyed the cinnamon flavors together and I just thought Panera did a great job making sure the flavors were well mixed together.
Final Results:
1st: Panera Bread – Cinnamon Spice Cold Brew
2nd: Starbucks – Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
3rd: Dunkin – Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Latte
4th: The Java House – Sweet Cream Iced Cofee
5th: Caribou Coffee – Iced Pumpkin Pie Latte
6th: Cortado – Pumpkin Pie Latte
Maybe the scone helpled with the final decision making, but overall for someone who is not a fan of cofee, these fall drinks may have changed my taste buds just a little. As for now, I will be sticking to apple picking and pumpkin baking for getting me in the fall mood. As for coffee lovers in Iowa City, check these downtown places out! Pick one up on your way to a pumpkin patch to really get you in the fall spirit. Happy tasting!
Image Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6