The beginning of fall marks the return of classes, Badger football, and the one gloriously caffeinated, shamelessly basic seasonal beverage: pumpkin spice latte. I spent an afternoon visiting some of UW-Madison’s most popular coffee stops to test their versions of autumn-in-a-cup.
Hits:
Starbucks: The tried-and-true, original Pumpkin Spice Latte does not disappoint. Starbucks’ PSL was recently reformulated to include real pumpkin puree— it had the boldest and sweetest pumpkin flavor in the taste test! Bonus points go to the drink for having its own Twitter account (@TheRealPSL).
Coffee Bytes: Though Coffee Bytes doesn’t have a designated space on their menu for the PSL, their baristas will be happy to create one for you. Formulated with a happy balance of pumpkin spice and espresso flavors topped off by a layer of perfectly foamed milk, Coffee Bytes’ pumpkin flavored latte was my personal favorite of the taste test.
Misses:
Espresso Royale: Their rendition of the PSL fell flat. My latte tasted like sweet, hot milk— the pumpkin spice and espresso flavors were nowhere to be found. Don’t worry, Espresso Royale, you’ll still be seeing me on $2 Latte Wednesdays. I’ll be sticking with my regular Americano order from now on, though.
Prairie Fire at Union South: Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Mocha—this isn’t technically a PSL, but since it’s a new addition to the menu at Prairie Fire (and everywhere else that serves Peet’s Coffee, such as the Grainger Café), I decided to give it a try. The drink was far too heavy with syrup and sugar for my liking. It tasted more like hot chocolate than a latte. The Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Mocha is a rich, dessert-like drink, but it likely won’t satisfy your pumpkin-spiced cravings.
Happy fall and happy sipping, ladies!