As the days grow shorter and the summer air turns to a crisp breeze, there are many beautiful changes happening around us, including our go-to coffee orders!
Gloucester is home to several Dunkin’s and a Starbucks that have turned over their menus to cozy fall vibes. The pumpkin spice latte (or PSL) is a fall menu staple, and the most popular fall item.
The PSL was created in 2003 by Starbucks employee Peter Dukes, following the success of the Peppermint Mocha. “Pumpkin spice” originally referred to the blend of spices often used in pumpkin pie, including nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. It is now used to describe the well-known pumpkin flavor and scent that wafts through cafes every fall.
It wasn’t until 2015 that Starbucks started using actual pumpkin in their PSL’s, due to backlash online. It’s now their most popular drink of all time and, for many, is a fall staple.
Nearly every coffee shop now stocks up on pumpkin drinks of all kinds, not just PSL’s to prepare for the fall craze.
But as we say goodbye to fruity refreshers and hello to the wide array of famous fall-flavored treats, where is the best place to get your morning pumpkin spice?
Lucky for you, we tried them, so you don’t have to! We reviewed and compared the pumpkin menus at one Dunkin’ location and Gloucester’s Starbucks.
Price varies between the businesses, with the signature PSL falling at $6.45 for a grande from Starbucks and $4.29 for a medium from Dunkin’.
But which drinks are worth the splurge?
If you’re looking for a true and potent pumpkin flavor, Starbucks is definitely worth the cost. Their flavor, made with real pumpkin, adds strong and sweet pumpkin to any drink.
We tried all of the cold pumpkin drinks all of the shops have listed with no modifications.
At Starbucks, those drinks are the Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte, the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, and the Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino.
Dunkin has the Pumpkin Spice Iced Signature Latte, the Pumpkin Oatmilk Shakin’ Espresso, the Nutty Pumpkin Iced Coffee, the Pumpkin Cold Brew with Sweet Cold Foam, and the Pumpkin Frozen Coffee.
Starbucks’ PSL has a very classic pumpkin spice taste. It’s the perfect combination of fall and coffee, and, if it were cheaper, would be the perfect go-to option. It’s the ideal fall drink. Compared to Dunkin’s PSL, it has multiple times the pumpkin flavor and, while it is sweeter, it isn’t too sweet.
The Pumpkin Cream Chai is Mylee’s favorite item of the season. The pumpkin flavor being in the cold foam and not in the drink itself ensures that the pumpkin doesn’t overwhelm the chai. As the cold foam melts into the drink, it flavors the chai with the perfect amount of pumpkin. Starbucks’ Pumpkin Cream Chai is the perfect fall drink for a comfy vibe.
The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew coffee is Jessica’s personal favorite. It has a powerful pumpkin taste to it without being overwhelmingly sweet or making you feel sick. Some of the pumpkin flavor seeps into the rich, cold brew flavor, which incorporates the pumpkin flavor into every sip. While it is not comparable to the signature latte in terms of sweetness or overwhelming flavor, if you are someone looking for a comforting pumpkin drink on those cool fall mornings, this is the drink for you!
The frappuccino is a great option for a treat. While in comparison to Dunkin’s frozen coffee, it is less flavorful, it still tastes great. It’s a tasty blended drink, but is the lowest-ranked for both of us in the Starbucks’ pumpkin lineup.
Overall, Dunkin’ has a far less vibrant pumpkin flavor, and it doesn’t taste as authentic as Starbucks’ pumpkin does. This largely comes from the fact that Dunkin’ uses lots of sugar and artificial flavors, while Starbucks uses pumpkin puree and non-artificial flavors and colors.
From Dunkin’, both Mylee and Jess’ favorite is the Pumpkin Spice Oatmilk Shakin’ Espresso. It has the taste of espresso with the sweetness of the pumpkin syrup. Oatmilk is good with any espresso drink, and a shaken espresso is one of our favorites, so, combined with pumpkin, it is the best option.
The Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte is very sweet. While some enjoy their coffee super sweet, the syrup overrides the latte part of the latte. The toppings only make the drink sweeter. It is a good drink, and we have continued to get it, but it is not their best.
The Nutty Pumpkin Iced Coffee is a good drink, but it isn’t anything special. It definitely would be better in a latte. The combination of pumpkin and hazelnut is appreciated and is a flavor mix that should be continued. The dullness of a regular coffee with the combination of flavors, though, does not make for an extraordinary drink. The boldness of espresso would fit the flavor much better and make for a better drink.
The pumpkin cold brew with sweet cream is extremely underwhelming compared to Starbucks. The pumpkin flavor in the cold brew is extremely weak, and because the cold foam is just Dunkin’s regular sweet cream cold foam, it does not make for a good pumpkin spice coffee.
The Pumpkin Frozen Coffee is Starbucks’ Pumpkin Frappuccino’s alter-ego, and firmly holds its ground on the Dunkin’ fall menu. It is on the sweeter side, and the fact that it’s a frozen beverage gives it its own unique spot on the Dunkin’ menu. The coffee flavor is rich and the pumpkin adds an autumn twist to it.
So what’s the final consensus? While Dunkin’ is the cheaper and sometimes the easier option, Starbucks has the better pumpkin menu. Their pumpkin flavor is true to the name and is smoothly embedded into the coffee.
So, after trying everything, our highest recommendations for pumpkin lovers are the Pumpkin Cream Chai from Starbucks and the Pumpkin Spice Oatmilk Shakin’ Espresso from Dunkin’.
