Back by popular demand, the fall flavors have appeared on the Starbucks menu earlier than ever this year. With six different drinks along with three food items, there is a wide variety of choices for everyone! The fall returners came out August 22, along with one new addition to the menu which is the Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai. This drink gives allergens a chance to get a taste of what they have missed, and according to drink developer Rosalyn Batingan, Starbucks has been very excited to introduce it. There have been many curious people wondering what they should and should not try, so we decided to order the fall menu and have students at Lewis Cass High School try them and give their honest opinions.
Throughout the course of the reviews, there was a distinguished line between the drinks the majority of the students liked and disliked. Out of all seven reviewers, the Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai and the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai seemed to be the most popular. Most of the reviewers have never tried chai before and are pleasantly surprised with the taste. Although both chai drinks are at the top, the Pumpkin Cream Chai has the most votes for number one. Juniors, Aftin Griffin and Julian Levine, along with senior Hannah Zamora agree the Pumpkin Cream Chai was superior to the rest. Aftin Griffin states, “That one’s probably the best, I rate it a 7.5/10.”
As we move down to a lower-ranked item, the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato seems to not impress anyone. Most reviewers seem to have mutual feelings about the drink, no one hates or loves it. The returning food items along with the macchiato also receive mutual feelings. Both the Pumpkin and Pepita Loaf and the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin have similar tastes. Senior, Hannah Zamora gives her opinion, “I think they are good, but the muffin just tastes like the loaf with cream cheese in it.” On another hand, a new addition to the fall foods, the Baked Apple Croissant seems to be a hit. Juniors, Kylie Logan and Brennan Deeter, equally enjoy the item. Brennan says, “This is probably the only good thing on the whole menu besides the lemonade.” FoodNetwork.ca believes this item (croissant) could work for a perfect on-the-go snack and that it should be a simple and delicious addition to the fall favorites.
Lastly, the two drinks that have not been covered are the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and the Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. These two drinks are the majority of the reviewers’ least favorite. After Junior, Owen Cotner-Graves tastes both drinks he says, “Those two are awful, I think I’d rather drink anything other than that.” And, Aftin Griffin gives her opinion on the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, “That tastes like straight-up coffee beans, it’s disgusting and doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all.” She then proceeded to give it a rating of 2/10 after mentioning she is not a huge fan of the taste of coffee. According to Foodnetwork.ca, these drinks are intended for people who enjoy drinking coffee and like the taste of it.
Overall, the group of students chosen to review have similar opinions as a whole. Both chai drinks and all food items are put at the top of the list making them the most recommended in our survey. Although these students had clear favorites, these reviews should not make anyone hesitate to try every fall flavor Starbucks has to offer. People have different preferences on what their taste buds enjoy and Starbucks is able to fulfill everyone’s wants, especially with every unique option this fall.
