As leaves turn and temperatures drop, jean shorts are replaced pants, and the nights get longer, Staples students head to Starbucks in order to satisfy their fall season needs. Along with the familiar Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL), several new fall-inspired drinks and foods have been added to the menu.
Returning for it’s 13th season, the PSL is undoubtedly one of Starbucks’ greatest hits. However, there has been some recent controversy among Staples students’ opinions.
Gemma Price ’19, a Starbucks regular, disagrees with all of the hype about the drink.
“I don’t really like it because it’s way too sweet and the mix of spices tastes really artificial,” said Price.
Conversely, Zoe Hulina ’18, an avid PSL fanatic, believes that they “taste like the epitome of fall.” She attributes the success of the PSL to its “association with the autumn months.”
Perhaps one of the more prominent new drinks added to the collection is the Chile Mocha. The spicy drink is infused with ancho and cayenne chile pepper, which gives it a bit of a kick. While it may appear to be a little adventurous, people have raved about the outcome.
Martin Menz ’19 states that although he was nervous to try it, “the chile taste wasn’t very strong and tasted like a normal mocha.”
Even Starbucks manager, Ryan, agreed that the Chile Mocha is his favorite new fall drink. He described that the spiciness and the cream balance each other out, and recommended that you add one pump of regular mocha sauce to your drink.
Drinks are not the only new items on the fall menu. There are many delicious foods as well. The new treats are mostly pumpkin-oriented; featuring the pumpkin scone, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin sugar cookie to name a few.
One to keep an eye out for is the caramelized apple pound cake. The sweet cake will satisfy both your sweet and salty cravings with its cream cheese base and cinnamon apples.
“The new menu makes everyone excited and gets them into the fall mood,” Lilly Howes ’17 said while reflecting on the overall new menu. “Plus, everything tastes super good too.”
