Food review: fall drinks
The Messenger reviews fall-inspired beverages
Krystal Wu, News Editor
Starbucks (10900 Medlock Bridge Rd, Duluth, GA 30097) :
Pumpkin Spice Latte (8/10)
Through past pumpkin spice latte experiences, I enjoyed how Starbucks spotlights the cinnamon-ny warmth within the spice mixture, but its pumpkin spice lattes always lacked the earthy pumpkin flavor. The adorably sized drinks topped with whipped cream and pumpkin spice radiated sweetness. Encapsulated by a creamy, earthy aftertaste, the drink carried a slightly fruity taste. While it satisfied my fleeting fall feelings, Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte lacked an overall pumpkin spice flavor.
Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Macchiato (4/10)
When I first picked up my drink, I immediately felt drawn to the pretty ombré between the layers of syrup and coffee, and oat milk. However, after mixing the drink and giving it a sip, I immediately tasted one-note, spiced-apple oat milk. The drink carried an incredibly creamy and oat-like taste that reminded me of Quaker Oats’ spiced-apple oatmeal. The apple flavor held a slightly artificial tint, but a hint of rich coffee lingered in the aftertaste. A comparable drink with a similar flavor profile is Dingtea’s green apple spice milk tea.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (5/10)
A foamy layer of whipped pumpkin cream topped with pumpkin spice capped the cold brew. I dove straight into the cream, tipping the cup back enough to get the golden ratio of cream-to-cold brew. Finishing the taste test with a milky mustache, I noticed the miniature-sized beverage lacked any pumpkin spice flavors or feelings. In an attempt to salvage the supposedly pumpkin-flavored drink, I tried just the pumpkin cream. The cream held the earthy pumpkin taste and subtle pumpkin spice present in the pumpkin spice latte. However, the pumpkin cream cold brew missed the mark as a fall-themed beverage as the flavors merely emulated a cream cold brew, with very little sweetness or fall present.
Dunkin (11250 Medlock Bridge Rd Ste 100, Johns Creek, GA 30097)
Pumpkin Spice Latte (3/10)
My first impression of this drink was weak, as the whipped cream was far into the cup, contrary to the fluffy mountain of cream present in the Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte. The first sips of my drink dropped any expectation I held towards the quality of Dunkin’s drinks. With the use of pumpkin syrup to create their fall beverages, the flavors all came down to the ratios and ultimately, the recipe. Despite the watered-down milky coffee taste, the pumpkin spice latte carried the strongest pumpkin spice flavor of the three Dunkin drinks. After further evaluation, the cinnamon sugar topping offered a crunchy texture that I enjoyed. The drink started to remind me of a slightly watery, melted milkshake.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (2.5/10)
Not only did this cold brew lack any pumpkin flavor, like the Starbucks’ drink, but it also left an incredibly bitter and acidic aftertaste. At first, the drink appeared very foamy at the top, with large orange-brown bubbles resting on top of a cup about 90% full of cold brew. Upon sipping the drink, the drink felt uncomforting and sour. While the Starbucks’ pumpkin cream cold brew was also disappointing, at least the quality of the coffee made it enjoyable as a coffee beverage, contrary to a fall-themed one, yet Dunkin’s pumpkin cream cold brew encapsulated watery, strongly acidic coffee, and disappointingly, lacked pumpkin spice.
Nutty Pumpkin Coffee (4/10)
Made with hazelnut and pumpkin syrup, the nutty flavor advertised accurately described the drink's flavor profiles. With the beverage more on the milky side, it held a slightly pleasant coffee aftertaste. Of the three Dunkin drinks, it ranks second in terms of sweetness and overall drink quality. Still, I disagree with its classification as a comforting fall beverage because it tasted strongly of a normal hazelnut iced coffee with a slight hint of cinnamon.
Pearl’s Tea (11030 Medlock Bridge Rd #270, Johns Creek, GA 30097)
Pumpkin Thai with Boba (6.5/10)
After paying almost eight dollars for my pumpkin Thai tea with boba, I had very high expectations. Right away, the drink’s ombré of orange to manila signified that I had to properly mix the drink to appreciate it. Upon swirling the drink, a strong, sweet pumpkin flavor hit me. Chewing away on their boba, I noticed a lack of freshness, but I enjoyed the slight bounce and chew the boba offered. Despite asking for less ice and sugar, the pumpkin Thai tea with boba was incredibly sweet, definitely the sweetest of all the drinks I reviewed. While it was not advertised to have pumpkin spice, the beverage played up the earthy and slightly nutty flavors of pumpkin accompanying the classic Thai tea cinnamon-y flavors. After drinking a third of the drink, I felt overwhelmed by the sweetness and could not finish it; the overpowering pumpkin syrup and Thai tea sweetness left me with a sickly sweet aftertaste.
