Published September 28, 2026
By GRACE GRAHL
Sweater season is officially here, and whether you are falling into leaves or behind in your classes, these autumnal drinks from Starbucks are bursting with flavor and filled with pumpkin pie spice, pecans and espresso. Whether these drinks warm your hands or sour your taste buds, this fall drink drop was on most autumn-minded people’s calendars and deserves an honest review.
Pumpkin Spice Latte
This flavorful pumpkin spice taste is the hallmark of fall. But why do I have to break the bank and my healthy eating habits just to savor a semblance of fall? At $6.95 and 370 calories for a 16-ounce drink, this is a guilty pleasure I can only enjoy in secret. Maybe other cafes have perfected this classic, but Starbucks clearly still has some work to do.
4/10
Pecan Crunch Latte
Upon first sip, this drink tastes like the perfect latte. However, it tastes nothing like pecan. Even with the addition of holiday baking spices and crunchy pecan-flavored sugar, there is no trace of any nuttiness of smooth butter pecan. Is it a great latte? Sure. But the focal point is pecan, and the main ingredient seems to have vanished from the drink.
5/10
Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso
This drink blends the most delicious pumpkin cold foam with the beauty of a shaken espresso, seen in other flavors such as brown sugar, hazelnut, vanilla and horchata. It creates a great contrast, but the oat milk throws it off just a little bit. While this may excite dairy-free Starbucks-goers, it also may induce a stomachache.
6/10
The hedgehog cake pop is a cute and tasty treat filled with vanilla cake and coated with chocolate goodness. courtesy of STARBUCKS
Hedgehog Cake Pop
This little woodland treat wins hearts over just from looking at the little face, and the chocolate sprinkles add the perfect crunch to the smooth and rich vanilla cake inside. This treat is delectable, but is ultimately gobbled down in four bites. Could a baker easily make this at home for $3.95 less? Of course. But it is still a fun treat and the perfect addition to the Starbucks fall menu.
7/10
Pumpkin Cream Chai
The creamy pumpkin cold foam with the pumpkin spice topping blends a beautiful and rich sense of fall only these flavors can bring. Although the cold foam overpowers and makes it hard to taste the chai, as Starbucks chai is notoriously known for being watered down and tasteless, this drink ultimately spices its way to the top of the list.
9/10
