By Alexis Dalton, Ella Kate McCord, and Lyla Nelson
As we got into Ella Kate’s car she made sure to mention that she had “spent hours” cleaning it the day before in light of our upcoming journey.
Days before Ella Kate cleaned her car, we were in Newspaper brainstorming article ideas. Alexis happened to have a Starbucks drink with her, and Lyla mentioned that she had “never had a real Starbucks drink.” She explained that she always wanted to try one but never knew what to order.
And that gave us our idea: going out and trying the most popular fall drinks from Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, and Dunkin’.
Soon after, we managed to convince Mr. Newman, Ms. Gilmore, and Mr. Howell to let us leave campus for this tasty journalistic opportunity.
Starbucks
Our first stop on this sugar-filled journey was Starbucks (of course). Starbucks is known to have many iconic seasonal drinks, and though they might be pricey, they are delicious and 100% worth it.
When we pulled up to the drive-thru, we had a quick convo with the barista taking our order. We asked which fall drinks he recommended, and he guided us through our order.
“The Pumpkin Spice Latte is a PHE-NOM-EN-ON,” he told us. He also recommended the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte. “Pumpkin spice is a classic and a phenomenon but the pumpkin cream cold brew is the better iced drink,” he said.
We decided to take his advice and order his three recommended drinks. Before we started reviewing, Lyla told us how she had to try all of them first because she “prefers to not drink after people.”
According to the Starbucks menu, the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte is “A rich and creamy Iced Chai Tea Latte—a blend of black tea infused with cinnamon, other warming spices and milk, topped with a sweet pumpkin cream cold foam and a dusting of pumpkin spice topping.”
The marketing was spot on for Lyla, who said, “How have I never tried Starbucks before!?” right as she tried it. She immediately said she would rate this drink a 10/10 and added that it “tastes like fall and pumpkin.”
Ella Kate, who is a Starbucks regular, was satisfied. “I found my new drink,” she said, and after taking a few more sips, rated this drink a 10/10. Despite our agreement in the beginning to only have a few sips of each drink (to save our stomachs), she finished the drink.
The Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte is Alexis’s go-to fall drink, so her rating was inevitably a 10/10.
The Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is “sweetened with vanilla syrup and topped with pumpkin cream cold foam and a dusting of pumpkin-spice topping.” (Starbucks Menu)
Of course, Lyla tried it first. She took a few sips (to get past the layer of pumpkin cold foam on top), and once she had a sip of the coffee, she quickly put down the coffee. “Ew… no… I don’t like coffee,” she said as she gave it a 4/10.
Ella Kate said it was “mid” and gave it a 7/10.
Alexis, on the other hand, liked it. “I usually only get sweet drinks, but this is really good.” She joined Ella Kate in forgetting about our agreement and finished the drink.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte: “Our signature espresso and steamed milk with the celebrated flavor combination of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Enjoy it topped with whipped cream and real pumpkin-pie spices.” (via Starbucks Menu)
Despite the fame of the pumpkin spice latte, it was not any of our favorite drinks.
“I don’t like it, but it’s better than the last one,” Lyla said. “I don’t like how it’s warm, but I like the taste.” She ended up giving it a 4.5/10
Initially, Ella Kate felt that it “would be a great fall/winter drink for when it is cold in the mornings,” but after taking a couple more sips she changed her mind. She then said, “Never mind I really don’t like it, I would prefer an iced coffee.” She ended up giving this drink a 4/10.
Alexis agreed with Lyla and Ella Kate that she didn’t like the warm coffee, and despite its name, she said the drink was “not very pumpkin.”
Chick-fil-A
Our next stop was Chick-fil-A. While they aren’t known for having fall drinks, they are known for their seasonal milkshakes, such as the peach milkshake during the summer and the peppermint milkshake for winter time. Right now, they happen to have the Caramel Crumble milkshake for the fall season.
Caramel Crunch Milkshake “is a creamy butterscotch caramel flavored milkshake made with our handspun Ice Cream® dessert and delicious blondie crumbles and topped off with whipped cream and a cherry.”
As we pulled into the West Paces Chick-fil-A drive-thru, we were not surprised at the long line, considering it was a Friday afternoon. As we waited, we became anxious to try this new and exciting drink.
At first, Lyla described the drink as “kind of odd, but not bad.” She rated this a 6/10.
Ella Kate immediately said “interesting” when she tried it. A few seconds later, she added, “I think I like it.”
Alexis had a similar opinion: “It’s weird at first but actually pretty good.”
Dunkin‘
Our last and definitely LEAST stop was Dunkin’. By the time we got to Dunkin, our stomachs hurt and we were hungry for lunch.
Their Signature Iced Pumpkin Latte is “Available iced or hot, this latte features notes of sweet pumpkin, vanilla, and fall spices. It’s blended with rich espresso and milk, then crowned with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and a dusting of cinnamon sugar – giving it that quintessential fall shimmer.” (via Dunkin’ menu)
None of us liked the drink, to say the least. Ella Kate and Alexis both rated the drink a 1/10. “It’s kinda salty,” Alexis noted.
Lyla took one small sip and instantly rolled the window down and stuck her head out of it. Ella Kate asked if Lyla was going to get sick, concerned about dirtying her freshly cleaned car.
After having the last (disgusting) drink, we were all really ready to go to lunch and get some food in our systems. Before we could drive to lunch, we had to find somewhere to throw all of these drinks away because there were not enough cup holders. Alexis and Lyla had their hands full with drinks as we drove around scavenging for a trashcan.
Our eyes lit up as we finally found a trash can to get rid of these drinks and go eat. Lyla decided to throw the milkshake in the (paper) Chick-fil-A bag without noticing that it started to spill all over the bag.
As paper does, the bag started to disintegrate while the drink spilled. Lyla just sat there watching as the wet paper bag broke and spilled all over Ella Kate’s spotless car.
Ironic indeed.
After 10 minutes of scrubbing Ella Kate’s car clean of any Dunkin’ remnants, we could finally end this coffee-filled, stomach-aching journey, and get lunch.
