Pumpkin spice lattes are a staple fall beverage. Nearly every coffee-selling business breaks out their pumpkin spice right before fall, starting in September. Considering there are so many different places to purchase pumpkin spice lattes, it may be hard to find the best one out there. Luckily, we went out and tried pumpkin spice lattes from as many chain coffee shops we could think of, and more. We will rate them for you, from worst to best.

The coffee last place, being the worst of the worst of all the reviewed lattes, was actually not from a coffee shop. We decided to try something pre-made and store-bought, so we sampled the Califia Farms Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Coffee With Almond Milk. For $5.69 we got 48 fluid ounces, which is the best price we got all day. The main difference between this one and all the others, was the temperature. Every other latte we tried was hot, and this was refrigerated. Before tasting, we noticed an aroma of almond milk and cinnamon. This latte had the consistency of whole milk, and even after being overly shaken up, the latte was pretty gritty, and seemed to leave a thin film on the mouth. After a few sips, we decided the flavor got progressively worse. The presentation was poor, but considering it came out of a bottle, it wasn’t too terrible. Overall, we rated this one a solid one out of ten.

The second worst latte we tried was our homemade pumpkin spice latte. We found our recipe from inspiredtaste.net. It took approximately ten minutes to prepare, making it the longest time frame for a latte that we tried. We used real pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice, so we had higher hopes for it. Once combined with the coffee, the pumpkin spice flavor was apparent, but the coffee was not. It tasted really watered down, but still had the creamy consistency of the other lattes that we liked. We rated it a two out of ten.

The worst coffee shop latte was the Tim Hortons pumpkin spice latte. We purchased it for $3.13, and this was probably the smallest latte of the day. The first thing we noticed was the lack of foam on top of the coffee. Upon smelling it, we noticed a lack of pumpkin scent. Once we tried it, we could not taste any pumpkin or spice flavors in this latte. The coffee itself tasted slightly burnt, and almost like a handful of potting soil. After there wasn’t any latte left, we noticed what we thought may have been cinnamon, but turned out to just be coffee grounds. We came to the consensus of a two out of ten, but a better two than the Califia Farms latte.

Off the bat, our hopes for Dunkin were high. We were intrigued by the whipped topping. There was a lovely pumpkin flavored sauce drizzled on top, but the scent didn’t meet our expectations. Much like the Tim Hortons coffee, this coffee tasted like moldy dirt. However, for just six cents more, this latte was significantly less bland. In spite of that, there was a lack of pumpkin flavor. It seems that as the whipped topping melted into the latte, the flavor improved with every sip. Overall the latte was mediocre, earning a six out of ten.

This next rating may come as a surprise. As soon as it hit the mouth, the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte felt unbeatable. The smooth, creamy latte grazed our mouths with a taste of perfectly brewed coffee. Hints of both pumpkin and spice tickled our taste buds. Upon opening, we noticed a lack of foam. We weren’t discouraged though, because the aroma was mouth-watering. Unlike previous lattes, it wasn’t bitter. Although it was $5.76, we felt it was more than worth that price. All things considered, this latte earned itself a nine and a half out of ten, putting itself in second place.

The final and favorite latte of the day was the Biggby pumpkin spice latte. It had all of the scrumptious qualities we loved from the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, paired with even more fun fall flavors! Our first impressions of this latte were outstanding, there was a delicious whipped cream topped with a delectable pumpkin drizzle and cinnamon. It smelled of pumpkin spice and everything nice. Once we tasted the actual latte itself, we were pleasantly surprised. The flavors of both pumpkin and spice were very prominent the entire time we drank it. For $6.46, this latte ended up being the most expensive, while also being the largest we got. We both agreed that it was well worth it. The pumpkin spice flavors were the most obvious out of all of the lattes we tried. In conclusion, this latte had no faults, no flaws, and only fantastic fall flavors.