The best and worst of fall-themed drinks
It’s that time of the year where many franchises attempt to spice up their offerings to customers with a pumpkin twist
Many cafes craft up fall-inspired drinks for the season. (Unsplash/Toa Heftiba)
Fall has arrived, and people are ready to jump further into the season as they say goodbye to warm summer temperatures for a while.
As the leaves fall — and as pumpkins are picked from patches and people get ready for Halloween festivities — trying out new fall-themed drinks crafted for the season is also a revered activity.
As per usual, Starbucks has rolled out its fall drinks. Besides its infamous pumpkin spice latte, the coffee chain has also released seasonal twists on apple crisp, chai, macchiato, and espresso drinks to try out.
While I haven’t tried any of these drinks myself, I’ve heard at least one of them tastes like a Bath & Body Works candle. While I doubt this applies to all of Starbucks’ fall drinks, I’d rather not subject my taste buds to sip around and find out.
From the few times I’ve tried a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, I think it’s a solid option for the fall. However, I wouldn’t regularly pay for Starbucks considering how expensive its menu items can be.
As famous as Starbucks is for its fall menu, the coffee chain is not the only franchise revealing new drinks.
McDonald’s released its own version of the pumpkin spice latte. I’d tried it myself, but considering I got food poisoning the last time I got a hot drink from there, I’m not taking any chances. My experiences with McDonald’s hot drinks have always been negative anyway, so I’m not keen on trying its fall drinks regardless.
Tim Hortons has also released a handful of new drinks for the fall, including another version of the pumpkin spice latte along with cold brew and Iced Capp drinks with a pumpkin spice flavour. As someone who often gets an Iced Capp, I had to try out this pumpkin spice twist myself. Admittedly, it was a bit much for me, but I thought it was tasty nonetheless.
While this is not at all a fall drink, Wendy’s is selling a special, limited-time Frosty to celebrate the 25th anniversary of SpongeBob SquarePants. Besides the Krabby Patty Kollab Burger, it’s also serving up the special Pineapple Under the Sea Frosty, which is a vanilla Frosty with a pineapple-and-mango-flavoured puree — just in case anyone wants to try a drink that doesn’t have pumpkin spice.
Overall, these are my thoughts on some of the drinks available this fall. Now, if anyone needs me, I’m on my way to get another pumpkin spice Iced Capp from Tim Hortons.
