As the leaves change colors and the air turns crisp, millions of people across the country eagerly await the release of special limited edition fall menus from their two favorite coffee companies: Dunkin and Starbucks.
But what is a fall menu? What makes it so special? Fall menus usually include seasonal spices such as cinnamon and flavors like pumpkin, apple, and even almond.
Dunkin’s assortment of caffeinated items consists of a pumpkin signature latte, almond spice coffee, nutty pumpkin coffee, pumpkin frozen coffee, and a pumpkin chai latte. All these drinks come iced or hot except for the pumpkin frozen coffee. In addition, Dunkin offers festive fall foods including a pumpkin donut, pumpkin Munchkins, a pumpkin muffin, banana chocolate chip bread, loaded hash browns, a maple sugar bacon breakfast sandwich, a maple sugar bacon Wake-Up Wrap, and maple sugar Snackin’ Bacon.
In terms of Starbucks’ fall flavors, they have a pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin cream cold brew, iced pumpkin cream chai, apple crisp non dairy cream chai, apple crisp oat milk macchiato, iced apple crisp oat milk shaken espresso, iced honey apple almond milk flat white, and an iced caramel apple cream latte. While there is more variety with Starbucks’ fall drink menu compared to Dunkin, they offer very little food options for a much higher price. They have a pumpkin cream cheese muffin, a pumpkin and pepita loaf, Racoon cake pop, and a baked apple croissant.
Like most people, we are huge fans of both establishments. Here’s what we think about the fall menus:
Alice:
My preference between Dunkin and Starbucks switches almost monthly. Lately I’ve been enjoying Dunkin more, but regarding the fall menus Starbucks is better for sure. I live for the iced pumpkin cream chai. The sweet cold foam merged with the flavorful cinnamon chai brightens my day. However, this is a drink that I only get occasionally because I honestly cannot afford to purchase it daily.
In all fairness, I am yet to try the Dunkin pumpkin chai, but I have given their iced pumpkin signature latte a try. Let me save you the trouble and let you know right now that it is the most diabolical thing I’ve ever tasted. The pumpkin flavor is overly sweet and artificial tasting. To put it simply, that drink was the biggest waste of five dollars.
On the other hand, I’m a huge fan of donuts. Some would consider me an expert; a donut connoisseur of sorts. My credentials are that I dressed up as a donut for Halloween in preschool. Dunkin’s donuts this year did not miss. The pumpkin donut was perfectly baked with a sweet glaze that complimented the spices. Apple cider was messy to eat but totally worth it. Again, the spices perfectly balanced out with the sugar dusting on the fried exterior. It also helps that both donuts were free (shoutout to the man that works at the Dunkin near my house).
Overall, Starbucks drinks are much better than Dunkin’s but you cannot go wrong with a good ol’ donut from Dunkin. At the end of the day, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re willing to spend an extra couple of dollars, Starbucks is the way to go, but some cheap food from Dunkin can easily satisfy your fall flavor cravings.
Addie:
My preference is relatively simple: Starbucks drinks and Dunkin food. The coffee is the same way: Starbucks is gas, Dunkin is a pass. The Starbucks coffee is far more rich compared to the Dunkin coffee, which is bitter and watered down. If you are looking for a decadent cup of Joe, Starbucks is the way to go.
I like to think of myself as a chai fanatic. When that milky, spiced liquid gold touches my tongue, my taste buds start to dance. I have yet to try the pumpkin chai latte from Dunkin but I have had a regular chai latte and let me tell you, it was not good. It was watery and so sweet I almost couldn’t drink it. On the other hand, the iced pumpkin cream chai from Starbucks is the most mouth watering drink I have ever come across. As for the regular chai latte, it can never go wrong. I would say save your money with Dunkin and splurge on Starbucks. It is worth it.
Food wise, Dunkin is much better. I have had both the Starbucks and Dunkin muffins and Dunkin takes the cake (or should I say muffin!) for sure. It may be because I’m not the biggest fan of the cream cheese on the Starbucks muffin, but I would choose the moist, sweet Dunkin muffin any day. Also, the maple sugar Snackin’ Bacon cannot beat. It is the perfect balance between salty and sweet. I believe that the bacon alone tops all of the Starbucks fall foods.
All in all, it is hard for me to choose which menu I prefer more. However, I tend to go to Dunkin more because the price is more reasonable. If I am looking for a fun drink to sip on I will go to Starbucks but if I am looking for a hearty snack I will go to Dunkin.
Now that you’ve heard our opinions, it’s time to see if the people agree. We asked our fellow Panthers to fill out a survey to see which fall flavors they prefer.
Senior, Sarah Anichini said, “I don’t like many of the drinks on Dunkin’s menu (I haven’t tried most of them, though), but the ones I have tried I really like. At Starbucks there’s more of a chance I’ll like it or be able to tell if I’ll like it or not (it’s just unnecessarily expensive).”
Social Studies teacher, Nic Adamo said, “I don’t like the complexity and the expensive nature of the Starbucks menu. When you walk into a Dunkin, there is no confusion of what they offer, allowing you to know exactly what to order. The food you can order pairs nicely with any beverage you choose, which makes for a magical experience at any Dunkin.”
Out of all surveyed students, 87.7% prefer the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.
81.5% prefer the Starbucks pumpkin cold foam.
It was a close call with the pumpkin muffin, though; 60% of the students enjoy the Starbucks muffin more.
Overall, the survey revealed that Starbucks is the winner with 73.8% of people saying that they like it better.
However, in an almost unanimous poll, 92.3% of surveyors agree that Starbucks is too expensive, but 44.6% state that they purchase it anyways.
