The Paw Print

By Vivian Kaleta

While August 21st marked the start of the new 2023-24 Payton school year, Payton students were quick to turn their excitement toward an even more thrilling cause for celebration: The return of the Starbucks fall menu. Students could finally get their hands on classics like the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL), which made its 20th debut this year, along with other iconic drinks such as the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Apple Crisp Macchiato. Two new drinks, the Apple Crisp Oat Milk Shaken Espresso and the very intriguing Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte, also joined this fall’s menu drop. To further fuel the craze, Starbucks had even introduced September’s BOGO fall drink deal, making it a bit easier to justify spending $5.95 on a cup of mostly ice.
Only becoming an avid coffee drinker this past year (thank you, junior year!), I had never been able to experience the delight of the Starbucks Fall Menu drop. So, in homage to trying new things, despite liking my coffee plain, I headed to Starbucks during my off-campus lunch to taste the hype. Long story short, I was only able to have about five sips of my iced PSL before I had to be picked up from school early due to severe stomach pain. Unfortunately, I was scarred for life from the experience. Keeping my taste buds separate from the pain, I can tell you that I personally did not enjoy the taste. It simply tasted like sickly syrupy milk. If it weren’t for the sticker on the cup confirming it was a PSL, I would have never known I was drinking a pumpkin-flavored drink. Coming from someone who normally doesn’t relish strong pumpkin flavoring, the drink was underwhelming. Even when I tried the Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte later on (a drink that was heavily hyped by Payton’s senior class), Starbucks still failed to get its flavoring right. That being said, I absolutely do not judge anyone who spends their money on Starbucks fall drinks. I will just automatically assume you are either 10 years old or someone who “cannot handle the taste of coffee.” It will be interesting to see what the Starbucks Holiday menu will have in store. All I know is that Dunkin’ will forever be superior!