Classes are back in session, which means lots of new faces and late nights cramming in the library again. As a bonding activity, my new roommates and I decided to go to Suzzallo and rank our favorite fall drinks at Starbucks. We got ourselves comfy in one of Starbucks’ “most visit worthy college stores” and took in the ambiance of the grand gothic architecture. As we prepared our taste buds for the abundance of fall flavors, we watched the hustle and bustle of the Starbucks amongst the historic beauty of the building. Our drinks arrived relatively quickly (considering the business of the store) and we got to work ranking our choices. For this article, we reviewed the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato, Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Apple Spice, and Cinnamon Dolce Latte.
5. Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato
We’re going to start this ranking with our least favorite drink, which was unfortunately the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato. We walked in with high hopes for this one, but the flavors just didn’t blend together as well as we had hoped. The spiced caramel apple drizzle was excellent, but the brown sugar apple syrup flavoring came on a little too strong. Although the oat milk helped combat the overwhelming sweetness of the apple, the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato just couldn’t compete with the rest of our drinks.
4. Pumpkin Spice Latte
The legendary, classic Pumpkin Spice Latte was in fourth place for our ranking. Every Starbucks lover craves a PSL when the leaves start to change color, and by all means they should. However, this year we felt like we needed to spice it up. We learned this drink gets a lot of hype for the nostalgia and comfort the milkiness and fall spices bring, but this is definitely not a drink you can enjoy more than a few times this season. Overall, it’s a classic, reliable goodie if you’re not looking to try anything new.
3. Caramel Apple Spice
We were a bit nervous about ordering a juice for our rankings, but it was totally the right decision. My mind flashed back to drinking hot apple cider on a pumpkin patch back home. This drink brings all the feels and the caramel is a nice touch. Apparently you can even order this drink year round so go give it a try! However, the reason we’re ranking it third on the list is because it doesn’t have caffeine in it which is not always a good go-to when you’re a college student trying to get in study mode.
2. Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Alright, we know this drink isn’t technically seasonal, but it’s got the fall flavors and is severely underrated. The Cinnamon Dolce Latte was the definition of a “warm and fuzzy feeling” according to one of my roommates. It’s a simple drink with the cinnamon and brown sugar syrup flavor coming out strong, but it’s also more caffeinated than we were expecting, making it perfect for a study sesh in Suzzallo Library. To say we were pleasantly surprised would be an understatement, definitely would order again.
1. Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
Our number one for this ranking is the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. The balance between the sweet, mouthwatering pumpkin cream and strong, flavorful coffee was immaculate. This felt the most like a drink you could order everyday and not get sick of. However, this drink is definitely for the coffee lovers (I suppose our group of reviewers is), which means it was the least sweet of the options we tried. If you’re not looking for the perfect caffeine fix or find the taste of coffee too bitter, we recommend trying one of the other options on the list!
All in all, this was great fun to get in the fall spirit vibe and we highly recommend doing the same with your roommates too!