Autumn has come meaning the pumpkin spice drinks have returned with it! Every year the public runs to coffee shops to get pumpkin spice but the question remains: what place has the best pumpkin spice drink? We went to five different places that sell pumpkin spice: McDonald’s, Starbucks, Dunkin, Wawa, and Turtle Beans Coffee Roaster and tried their most popular iced pumpkin drink. We ranked the coffee and the overall experience based on four categories: appearance, taste, how much pumpkin you could taste, and the atmosphere of the place. Here are our results:

Starbucks

Starbucks is often known for its infamous pumpkin spice lattes. The coffee’s visual appearance was rated a four out of five. It earned this rating since the color is a satisfying fall color and it is always topped with its whipped cream and/or cold foam. The coffee’s looks draw you in but it also has a good pumpkin taste. The drink itself definitely hit the spot with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. However, sometimes I find the coffee struggling to be sweet enough or being overly sweet so we rated it a four out of five. Additionally, the Starbucks atmosphere is quite enjoyable. It consists of a nice place to sit down, do work, or hang out with friends. The only downside would be that at times it gets extremely busy which could cause it to get loud and overstimulating. So, we decided to rate the atmosphere a four out of five. Overall, we rate Starbucks a four out of five and see it as a definite option when looking for a nice pumpkin spice latte. 

Dunkin

Dunkin offers a unique take on the pumpkin spice latte with putting both pumpkin and vanilla in the coffee along with whipped cream on top. This coffee is visually appealing with a ranking of four out five and a point being taken off due to the inconsistency of the appearance. Occasionally, the coffee will not come out with the caramel drizzle and cinnamon sugar toppings, taking you out of the pumpkin spice fantasy. The coffee itself tastes pretty good, however, the vanilla overpowers the pumpkin. We rated both the taste of the coffee and how much pumpkin you could taste three out of five. Dunkin unfortunately fails in the atmosphere aspect. Since we felt very rushed to leave, we did not want to stick around. Overall, Dunkin gets a three out five and is a good option to have a good pumpkin coffee. 

Wawa

Wawa  offers a very classic pumpkin spice latte and is exactly what comes to mind when someone says the phrase. Visually, the coffee is very pretty. It has a gorgeous caramel color complimented by whipped cream on top. We rated the appearance a four out of five since it has a very classic appearance. However, the coffee lacks in the taste and amount of pumpkin department. The coffee tastes good but could have used more ice since the coffee was room temperature only five minutes after getting it. Also, the coffee's hints of vanilla overpowers the pumpkin in some aspects, similar to Dunkin’s pumpkin spice latte. We rated both the taste of the coffee and how much pumpkin you could taste a three out of five. Finally, the atmosphere of Wawa gets a one out of five. It felt very rushed to get in and out of, it is not the type of place you want to stay around for very long. Overall we rate Wawa’s pumpkin spice latte a 2.75 out of 5. 

Turtle Beans Coffee Roaster 

Turtle Beans Coffee Roaster was by far the most visually appealing shop that we went to. Decorated with turtles all over the walls and a seemingly inviting atmosphere that was pet friendly, we went in with high hopes. Inside, the first thing we noticed was the heat in the room. It was not a hot day but the lack of air conditioning and air circulation made waiting in the long line unpleasant. While waiting to order, we watched as a worker got frustrated at an elderly couple who was not standing in the correct spot. They explained that they had never been there before and that they were unsure where to order. Once it was our turn we ordered and the worker was also not pleasant about making certain modifications to the drinks. The drinks that we received had a nice appearance but were on the more expensive side. After tasting them however, they did not match their appearance. The coffee tasted bitter and the pumpkin spice flavor was not very strong. We were disappointed with the service and the taste of the drinks from Turtle Beans but overall we gave it a 2.75 out of 5.

Mcdonald’s

McDonalds was the first place we went to try pumpkin spice. The overall look of McDonalds is in no way comparable to a cute coffee shop, but it was clean and the workers were nice. Waiting for our orders did not take long and ordering was easy since you could do it in a variety of ways. When the drinks arrived they didn’t look bad or good, but the syrup was noticeably pooled at the bottom of the cup. Once we tasted it, we noticed that there was no pumpkin flavor at all throughout the whole drink and it solely tasted like vanilla. The coffee itself was nothing special but also nothing to complain about. Due to the drink having no pumpkin flavor we had to put it last on the list and overall we gave McDonald’s a 1.75 out of 5. 

The Winner!

Based on our results and ranking we have determined that Starbucks has the best pumpkin drink. Starbucks had the best tasting coffee that reminded us of fall while also looking visually appealing. Starbucks offers the best of both worlds: a delicious pumpkin coffee and a relaxing environment. The superior pumpkin spice coffee officially goes to Starbucks!