We Tried 6 Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and Couldn't Believe Which One Beat Out Starbucks

It's almost fall, which means it's officially Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) season! I am not a huge PSL lover, but like most people, I do indulge in one (or a few) pumpkin-themed beverages during this time of year. It's a fun way to celebrate the changing seasons, but the festive coffee drinks can add up pretty quickly. That made me wonder if paying top dollar for a PSL is really worth it.

Many people love the PSL from Starbucks, the company that introduced this seasonal staple to the world. But other coffee shops, fast food chains and even convenience stores have jumped on the pumpkin-spice bandwagon. To see if any of them could stack up to Starbucks I bought as many pumpkin spice lattes as I could find near me and conducted a blind taste test to find the absolute best pumpkin spice latte.

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How We Chose These Pumpkin Spice Lattes

To find out if any PSL could unseat Starbucks as my favorite, I gathered a PSL from Starbucks and five other places near me. Thankfully, four of the six spots I chose were within a half mile of each another, so my coffee was still hot when I got to try it.

These are the places I went and the price of the smallest PSL there:

Speedway: $1.52 for 10 ounces

Wawa: $3.59 for 12 ounces

Dunkin: $3.91 for 10 ounces

McDonald’s: $3.60 for 12 ounces

Starbucks: $6.10 for 12 ounces

Sheetz: $4.33 for 12 ounces

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How We Tested the Pumpkin Spice Lattes

To set up my blind taste test, I had my husband arrange the drinks inside some baskets, which we set up on picnic tables at a local park. We placed the baskets on their sides, so the solid bottom was facing me and the side, which had some small holes in it, was facing up. This arrangement meant that I couldn't see the drinks but the holes allowed a straw to go through so I could sip each PSL. I tried them back to back, and most were still hot because I bought them within 30 minutes of setting up the taste test.

For this ranking, I was looking for a good blend of spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, but I also wanted to get the pumpkin and coffee flavors too. My ideal PSL is well-balanced, flavorful and smooth. I also decided to get the premade drinks, so even if I was able to make my own, I wanted to have it made for me so I didn’t sway the tasting in any way. I also chose not to get whipped cream on any of these drinks.

Once I tested all of the drinks, I walked around the table for the big reveal and I was quite surprised by the winner and the loser. At the end of the tasting I had a clear winner—and it wasn't the one I would have guessed.

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6 Popular Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, Ranked from Worst to Best

6. Sheetz

Sheetz has the PSL on its hot drinks menu, and the smallest size is a medium. I ordered one at the kiosk and it was made by a human. I got a discount with my accrued Sheetz points, but before that discount, the drink cost more than $5.

I have done an iced coffee taste test with Sheetz before, ranking it against the other major convenience stores in the Central Pennsylvania area. Sheetz won that contest, but it ranked at the very bottom of the PSL taste test because it tasted like chemicals.

There was no coffee flavor an no pumpkin flavor—just chemicals. I ended up dumping it out after the tasting and all of the flavor additions were sitting at the bottom, despite the fact that I had just bought this coffee before testing it and I had stirred it. This is one I definitely won't buy again.

5. Speedway

Speedway has a PSL in a latte machine. You just select the flavor and push the button, so there wasn't any room for human error here. It wasn’t bad for a drink that cost less than $2, but overall, I wasn't impressed. It was weak coffee, weak PSL flavor and not worth the stop.

4. Wawa

I ordered this one at a kiosk and it was made by a human. Wawa generally has good coffee drinks, but I always think they are a little too sweet. That sweetness often overpowers the coffee flavor for me. That was also my experience with the Wawa PSL. It was decent, but the pumpkin spice flavor wasn't there. The coffee flavor was okay, though, which surprised me. I think this one needed a little more balance to make it great. That said, it wasn't too bad for a drink that's less than $4.

3. Dunkin'

I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this PSL. I don’t usually like Dunkin’ coffee, but the drink had a strong coffee flavor, it wasn’t too sweet and it was creamy. The issue? I didn’t get much PSL flavor. If there had been a bit more spice flavor, this drink would be a go-to for me.

This drink was less than $4, as well, and well worth the money! I ordered at the drive-thru and the barista was very thorough in asking me exactly how I’d like my drink made.

2. Starbucks

Of course, Starbucks ranks high! They are the OG of the PSL and they use real pumpkin to make their famous drink. This one was so good—perfect spices, perfect pumpkin flavor, strong coffee flavor and it was creamy. What more can you ask for? How about a cheaper price? I ordered at the drive-thru and this PSL was more than $6 for the smallest size!

1. McDonald’s

I can't believe I am saying this, but McDonald’s won this round for me. I like McDonald’s coffee, but I had never had their PSL. This one had all the elements I found in the Starbucks coffee, but it was just a little sweeter because I ordered it on the McDonald’s app and I was able to control how many sugars I wanted in it.

For me, it was very hard to decide between Starbucks and McDonald's on flavor, but McD's ended up on top because of the price. McDonald's PSL was so close to the one I got at Starbucks, but it was only $3.60, so it won! I will definitely get this again.

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