The leaves may still be mostly green, but pumpkin spice latte season is upon us. It seems to come earlier and earlier every year. Now is the time to be basic and enjoy the festivities of the season.
While a lot of chain coffee shops have already announced their fall menus, Fort Collins has not completely caught on, squeezing every ounce of summer left. Cups has a pineapple coconut matcha drink on their special drink list, and Harbinger just took their summer menu away, not quite announcing their fall menu yet.
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I was a barista in the past and an avid coffee drinker. I’m unashamed to admit to loving a PSL, but not all PSLs are created equal, so I created a list and rated what I could find.
For consistency, I got a small size at each place, iced due to the weather, with oat milk because I am lactose intolerant. Forewarning to other lactose buddies, there is some dairy in a few of the PSL syrups — a small price to pay to find the best.
Sweet Temptations Cafe
This PSL had more of an artificial-tasting pumpkin flavor, but it was not overly spicy. It was far too sweet for my personal preference, and while it’s conveniently close to a building that houses my practicum, I wouldn’t get it again. Rating: 4/10.
Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros technically doesn’t have a traditional PSL on their menu, so I just requested an iced latte with their pumpkin syrup. I’m not a huge fan of their roast espresso in their lattes because it leaves a weird burnt aftertaste, but the pumpkin syrup wasn’t overpowering or too sweet, which is important, but I wouldn’t get it again. Rating: 6/10.
Cuppy’s Coffee and Smoothies of Fort Collins
By the dark color, I knew this one was going to be good. It was just creamy enough to overshadow the coffee flavor. It wasn’t too sweet, it had a really rich espresso taste and the pumpkin flavoring was very mild. If it was just based on the coffee, my rating would be higher, but it didn’t give enough of a fall vibe. Rating: 6.5/10.
Starbucks
The quintessential PSL — it’s a tad too sweet, and they lean heavier on the pumpkin flavoring than spice, which I prefer. I’m a former Starbucks barista, so I made my shots blonde and ristretto, which I recommend. Rating: 7/10.
Lima Coffee Roasters
One of their five fall drinks for the season, it was creamy, not too sweet and an 11:11 ratio of espresso to milk. The hint of pumpkin spice lingers in a pleasant way. They have their own syrup, but it has no strong pumpkin flavor. The overall quality of the espresso and ingredients makes this one of my favorites. Rating: 8.5/10.
Snooze, an A.M. Eatery
At Snooze, you can either enjoy your PSL with pumpkin pecan pie pancakes or grab it at their bar area and take it to go. The spice flavor hits you first, but the pumpkin flavor isn’t hiding either. This latte tastes thicker than all the rest, and the earthy pumpkin flavor and slight texture lingers in your mouth after each sip. It’s like drinking pumpkin pie, so I made this one my winner. Rating: 9.5/10.
Reach Jenna Landry at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
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