I know that I am not alone when I say that I think the Pumpkin Spice Latte is kind of disgusting. My friends and I have had countless conversations and pondered the reasons why people love it so much, so I decided to enlist four of my friends’ help in rating and reviewing a couple of alternatives for the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Find this drink: Starbucks
Rating: 3.4/5
The Cinnamon Dolce Latte is the embodiment of the Holiday Season. The thick cinnamon dolce taste mixed with light and sweetened whipped cream makes for a sweat treat perfect for a cold night of studying or movies with your friends.
While it is very sweet, a relatively strong espresso taste also comes through. My friends liked this drink for the most part, but it was a bit sweet for my palette since I prefer a strong espresso drink over a sweet one.
If you are a fan of the occasional sweet espresso drink, the Cinnamon Dolce Latte is for you.
Hazelnut Latte
Find this drink: Starbucks
Rating: 3/5
Now the Hazelnut Latte is my personal favorite. This is basically a plain latte with slight hazelnut flavoring. It is quite creamy and smooth, perhaps more so than a regular latte. My sweet-tooth friends who are fans of the more complex concoctions at Starbucks were not impressed.
If you are an espresso-loving latte drinker and are looking for a change, try the Hazelnut Latte.
Chai Tea Latte
Find this drink: any decent coffee shop
Rating: 2/5
Chai is a bit of an acquired taste. It is slightly spicy and is one of the stronger tea flavors. My friend who had never had chai tea or a latte before thought it tasted like “a Christmas tree jumped down my throat, and not in a good way”. I personally love a good Chai latte and loved it from the minute I tasted it.
In my experience every coffee house brews their chai tea and lattes differently, so don’t count it out until you have tried a couple!
Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate
Rating: 3.2/5
Find this drink: Starbucks
The Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate – aka a bag of sugar in a cup – should be advertised as a dessert. It is quite sweet – so sweet that my friends all said they would never be able to finish even a small size. This was my least favorite, but I attribute that to the fact that I always prefer an espresso drink over a sweet one.
You chocolate and salted caramel lovers out there should definitely give the Salted Carmel Hot Chocolate a try. It is basically straight chocolate and salted caramel in a cup after all.