It’s that time of year again. As you start to pull out those cozy, cable knit sweaters and fuzzy blankets, you’re probably beginning to see countless advertisements for pumpkin coffees, pies, and even ice cream. When heading out to pumpkin patches and stopping for these delicious treats, you might find yourself overwhelmed with choices. Not to fear, I am here with the help of my prestigious colleagues Nevin Wise, Alex Thompson, and Grace Williams, and together, we will help you navigate the stress that comes with choosing a pumpkin flavored snack. We will each be rating our thoughts on these options and giving feedback as to how “fall-spirited” these indulgences are.

     To start off our escapade, we made a stop through McDonald’s. Nevin and I both got the pumpkin spice latte and iced coffee. We all decided there wasn’t a large difference between the two drinks. The iced coffee was definitely sweeter, but neither drink gave us that pumpkin spice vibe. The iced coffee tasted like a sweeter version of the vanilla iced coffee according to both Grace and myself.

     After our not so successful pumpkin trip to McDonald’s, we stopped at one of America’s top tier coffee destinations, Dunkin’ Donuts. We decided here we would get pumpkin munchkins, pumpkin cream cold brew, and cinnamon sugar pumpkin latte. We all started by trying the cold brew drink to which Nevin described as tasting like and I quote, “genuine dirt”. Alex said that the drink was definitely bad, but Nevin was being quite dramatic. Grace would 10/10 not recommend and made it a point to describe the disgusting after taste she was left with in her mouth. I found the drink to be extremely bitter and had no pumpkin flavor whatsoever. We moved on to pumpkin munchkins in hopes of getting the nasty cold brew off our palettes. I thought these were okay with pumpkin flavoring, but I would 10/10 recommend these to sit in the car and snack on. Alex did not feel these had much pumpkin flavor and thought they tasted more like cinnamon. We all thought they were good though. Our final item here was the cinnamon sugar pumpkin latte. Huge disclaimer here; this drink varies from latte to latte. One was so much more pumpkin and sweet then the other. Neither was bad, but I would proceed with caution.

     We then went to Starbucks to get pumpkin cream cold brews. Grace and I are both obsessed with this staple for fall. I love that the pumpkin isn’t overpowering and the pumpkin spice topping adds the perfect amount of texture. Nevin loves the pumpkin cream cold brew and thinks it;s a staple in the Starbucks fall menu.

     We finished our trip with pumpkin pie blizzards from Dairy Queen. These were by far the best fall vibes. The crust pieces add the necessary texture for any blizzard. The pumpkin flavor was absolutely amazing and exactly what someone who is looking for a fall treat should get. Nevin constantly wants this treat and also firmly believes the first bite always tastes like key lime.

     As the air gets crisper and the leaves begin to fall, I hope our synopsis of fall treats helps you make the most of this season.