Fall, arguably the best season, has finally arrived. With the pretty colored leaves and cooler weather (that will hopefully come soon in Minnesota), also comes seasonal drinks and lots of pumpkin spice. We wanted to try out the different pumpkin spice lattes and other fall drinks from a few cafes around the city to determine which ones are the best. We visited Starbucks, Rustica, and Five Watt Coffee to determine the one with the best overall quality.

First, we went to Starbucks. If you like sweet coffee you’ll enjoy their line of fall drinks. The pumpkin spice latte was a pleasant surprise this year, but it tasted a little too artificial and sweet. If you don’t like coffee, the iced pumpkin cream chai is another option for you. It’s quite sweet and it’s also fairly artificial, although the additional pumpkin flavor is a nice twist on the basic chai latte. Overall, if you are looking for something sweet, the Starbucks fall drinks are a good option. They are in the average price range for a latte these days, although it can still be pricey.

Rustica is one of our favorite cafes and they have a nice fall menu. They have two different lattes, pumpkin spice and caramel apple. We didn’t get a chance to try the caramel apple latte, but the pumpkin spice is pretty good. It’s definitely lighter on the pumpkin but it tastes very fresh compared to Starbucks.  

Finally, we visited Five Watt Coffee, which had the best pumpkin spice latte in our opinion. This pumpkin spice latte is not too overpowering on the pumpkin, yet delivers with the spices. It’s also not as sweet as some of the others we’ve tried, and the espresso is smooth and high quality. Five Watt’s pumpkin spice latte is pricey at $7.78 for a 16 oz, but overall, we think it’s worth it and serves as a great after-school pick-me-up. 

To recap, Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte and iced pumpkin cream chai latte were definitely the sweetest and most artificial tasting, while Rustica and Five Watt’s pumpkin spice lattes tasted fresher. Overall, our favorite drink by far was Five Watt’s pumpkin spice latte. Both Five Watt and Rustica’s prices are higher than Starbucks, but the quality and taste make up for it. Seasonal drinks are a great way to celebrate autumn, and it’s also important that we treat ourselves during these busy months, so go out and get yourself a cozy drink! Happy sipping!