We Sampled All the Fall Drinks at Starbucks—Here’s Our Ranking from Worst to Best.

      Four years ago, our team embarked on a venture that could be described as the journey of a lifetime. Each season, we take the opportunity to sample all the new Starbucks beverages, rank them, and share our findings with you. In previous years, our reviews of Starbucks’ fall, holiday, and spring/summer drinks have been well-received. Now, we have happily returned to our favorite time of year: fall.

      Our team is passionate about Starbucks coffee, but there's something particularly special about the fall menu. This year, Starbucks introduced one new item to the fall lineup: the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado. However, it’s important to note that one beloved item is missing this year: the Apple Crisp drinks. (I’m a bit upset. Let’s not delve into it.)

      To kick off PSL season, our group of taste testers gathered in our Chicago office to sample seven seasonal Starbucks drinks. You can imagine the awkwardness of requesting the entire fall drink menu from the barista. But after two trays filled with orange-hued beverages, we sat down to sip and ranked our favorites. Clearly, we take this very seriously.

      How we ranked them

      Our seven official testers tried a total of seven drinks. Each drink was rated on a scale from 1 to 5 for "overall taste" and "likelihood to order again." With each tester giving up to 10 points per drink, the maximum score achievable was 70. Once we calculated the total score for each drink, we simplified it to a scale out of 10. We also ordered our drinks without any modifications, allowing us to experience them as Starbucks intended.

      Here is The Everygirl’s official ranking of every fall drink at Starbucks:

      7. Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

      “I’m a fan of cold brew, but this one didn’t work for me.”

      Score: 4/10

      This was quite the SHOCK. In past years, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew usually scored high, but this time it fell short. Perhaps we got a bad batch, but the cold brew was overly bitter and lacked sufficient pumpkin flavor. One of our graphic designers, who loves cold brew, also found it lacking in flavor and agreed that it needed more to balance the bitterness. While we may give it another shot later this season, for now, it’s a no-go.

      6. Pecan Oatmilk Cortado

      “This reminds me of December. It's tasty, but too intense for my typical choice. I’d be spinning after drinking this.”

      Score: 5/10

      We had to research this one a bit. Many of us hadn’t experienced a cortado before—essentially a 1:1 ratio of espresso to steamed milk. This creates a small but strong drink, which might not be for everyone. It ranked relatively low primarily due to its intense espresso flavor. As an espresso fan, I enjoyed it, but others in the office disagreed. They didn’t particularly like the nutty taste and thought it might be better with whole milk to enhance the pecan flavor. One of our editors even remarked “YUCK” as her review. For me, though, this drink is a must-have.

      5. Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino

      “This is delicious, but when would I ever order a Frappuccino for myself?”

      Score: 6/10

      As expected, the fall Frappuccino landed in the middle of our rankings. It often receives decent scores due to its stellar pumpkin spice flavor, but it doesn’t really taste like coffee. It’s more akin to a dessert in a cup. If you enjoy ultra-sweet drinks (or perhaps find yourself craving ice cream but end up at Starbucks), you might love this one. However, our team isn’t exactly the target audience. One of our graphic designers even commented that Frappuccinos generally make her feel uneasy (which is understandable). So, it was enjoyable to try, but we likely wouldn’t choose it over our preferred coffee options.

      4. Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

      “Tastes more like pumpkin milk.”

      Score: 6.5/10

      With temperatures still in the 70s here in Chicago, we decided to taste both hot and iced versions of the PSL this year. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is a classic, and generally a reliable fall choice. However, the iced version disappointed many of us, as almost everyone felt that the pumpkin spice flavor was less pronounced. It might have been the ice diluting it, but it also seemed heavier on the milk, making it taste quite different from the hot version. Many of us would consider trying this again, but likely only while we enjoy the final days of a Midwest summer.

      3. Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte

      “You can definitely taste more of the pecan flavor compared to the Cortado.”

      Score: 7/10

      The Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte received the most varied feedback of all the fall