As soon as the air gets a little bit chilly, and the leaves start to change and begin to fall, Starbucks is always the first to bring out their seasonal menu. Along with the return of their iconic fall menu, people (including us) are racing to see which drinks are the best this season. Many consumers might find themselves stressing about which drink they need to order off of the endless menu, but don’t you fret because we beat you to it. Check out our opinions below on some of the most popular drinks on this season’s Starbucks menu.  

Of course, we had to start with the classic. We chose to rank the Pumpkin Spice Latte as the most universal, iconic fall drink of all. When analyzing the vast sea of fall flavors, the PSL truly is everything it is said to be. This latte does an exceptional job of perfectly balancing out both warmth and cold, evoking hints of pumpkin, spice, and everything nice. 

Our journey continued with a slightly lesser known but equally delicious Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai. We bought this drink expecting a simplistic, icier version of the PSL, but were surprised to find this to be something else entirely: the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai acted as a bridging point between DC summer and fall, welcoming us away from the heat with a woodsy yet refreshing taste.

Unfortunately… things were soon to take a turn. We reluctantly tried the “Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Expresso” and only managed to get through about three sips before having to spit it out. When drinking this version of the “shaken espresso,” we both felt like miserable, middle-aged men who drank black coffee every morning and had no sense of taste whatsoever. We truly tried to give this a shot, but it tasted like a bitter, moldy apple.

However, our last drink brought the mood up once again. In spite of the chilly weather, we have ranked this option number one due to its versatile range of flavors, which seem to work best during the spooky season. The Pumpkin Spice Creme Frappuccino truly made our day, bringing us back to the pure joy Starbucks brings: this frapp brought forth a refreshing, sugary taste of fall topped with whipped cream, making us feel the inner essence of fall with a hint of sugar.

So, next time you’re in need of heating up, cooling down, or just want that Starbucks satisfaction, check out the fall menu!