Which pumpkin spice latte is the best?

If every month had a flavor, October’s would be an easy call: Pumpkin Spice.

These days, it comes in many forms, from bagels and kale chips to lotions and dog treats. The flavor’s most beloved form (after pie and beer) is the pumpkin spice latte. But what is pumpkin spice, really? Are all pumpkin lattes created equally?

And so the idea for a culinary taste test was born.

Seasonal drinks are nothing new, but the coffee drink from Starbucks has its own fan following. Starbucks is not the only coffee house in town, however. Many coffee shops have come up with their own version of the pumpkin spice latte.

In an ideal world, this would be a March Madness-style battle among every local coffee shop, coffee house, coffee stand and cafe that placed pumpkin on its menu. Unfortunately, five coffees are about as much as one can carry without fear of car catastrophes or cold beverages. The four drinks chosen for comparison to Starbucks’ seasonal sipper are Torque Coffee Roasters’ Real Pumpkin Spice Latte, Thatcher’s Coffee’s Pumpkin Latte, Latte Da Coffee House & Wine Bar’s Pumpkin Pie Latte and Pines Coffee and Tea’s Habañero Pumpkin Spice Latte.

And who better to sample consecutive doses of sweet coffee drinks than teens? Not just any teens, but eight students from the Clark County Skills Center’s Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts program. The students conducted blind taste tests.

Testing the senses

Before the lattes were poured, instructors and chefs Andrew McColley and Greg Retchless had the eight students first taste the main elements of a pumpkin spice latte individually: sugar, pumpkin purée and water, with ground coffee to smell.

“When someone says ‘pumpkin spice,’ what do you think of? Pumpkin pie,” McColley said.

The taste of just pure pumpkin is far different from what we mentally picture, he said. The students learned to slurp water up noisily from a spoon, which atomizes the liquid across the tongue, allowing it to get full exposure to the flavor.

“Now, most people think water doesn’t have a flavor,” said McColley.

He asked the students to describe what they sensed after slurping. The students murmured in surprise, trying to find the correct word.

“Does it taste … tinny?” McColley prompted.

The students respond with a resounding “yes.”

Slurping is a standard technique for coffee cupping, or tasting, with attention paid to the smell, taste and mouth feel of the drink. Smelling coffee grounds or beans is another common technique not just for food tastings, but anything fragrant. Coffee beans are commonly used to clear the palate of the nose and mouth, a sort of reset button. It’s why you’ll often see decorative jars of coffee beans in fragrance and candle sections of retail stores.

When asked, five students proclaimed a preference for sweeter coffees, with two taking a just-right approach and one student preferring “coffee over sugar.” All had tried pumpkin spice lattes before.

The results

First up was the Pumpkin Pie Latte from Latte Da Coffee House. The students immediately picked up on the scent of spices, describing notes of ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, as the panel of judges conferred on the spices’ identity. While sipping, some commented that the flavor of coffee seemed to come from the back of the throat, and that the spices covered up any flavor of pumpkin. While all eight students said they enjoyed the drink, they would label it a spiced latte over a pumpkin one, with a few reflecting on thoughts of fall and Thanksgiving.

Thatcher’s Coffee Pumpkin Latte was second. The students noted the sweeter, pumpkin-y smell to this drink, with the anticipation of drinking real pumpkin. Overall, the students said they thought the drink was a bit plain, with the prominent taste being a milk coffee with some vague hints of pumpkin. Some preferred that it wasn’t sweet, but it paled in comparison to the first drink’s spice.

Third to the counter was Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, which had the most surprising scent, the students said. The tasters noted the drink’s strong floral smell, with the possible additions of pine and haylike scents. They decided this drink was flavored with a pumpkin syrup for a sweet, creamy taste, but it left some students searching for the pumpkin flavor. A couple of students said that if they hadn’t been told this drink was a pumpkin latte, they couldn’t have identified it, and they lacked a word to pin down the mysterious flavor.

On its heels came Pines Coffee and Tea’s Habañero Pumpkin Spice Latte. With no preparation, the students said they were caught unaware by the spice kick. Comparisons to Red Hots and Hot Tamale candies, hot sauce and even the cinnamon challenge were tossed about. The challenge asks people to swallow a spoonful of ground cinnamon in under 60 seconds without drinking anything, then upload the video to the Internet One student said the spice spread from the tip of the tongue to the whole of the mouth. Though the drink smelled of pumpkin, it was like eating a pepper ball, with the flavors of coffee or pumpkin too weak to break through the overwhelming spice. But the students could not stop talking about the drink and had both instructors try it, as well.

Torque Coffee Roasters’ Real Pumpkin Spice Latte rounded out the batch. The students were quick to point out the visible layer of pumpkin purée in the bottom of the clear tasting cups. This drink had a stronger coffee flavor that wasn’t as sweet as others, with little spice and a thick, slightly grainy texture. The students said that a bit more sugar would make this drink more balanced. Overall, it was a strong, good pumpkin drink.

Rating the drinks

One of the most interesting rating comments that cropped up during the testing was, “I’d drink it if my mom bought it for me.” We’re not sure if that qualifies as a compliment or not.

Andy Hart, Alexea Cluflin and Danielle Colville said they liked Starbucks’ latte the best. Andy said that it was sweet and suited his preference for sweeter drinks. Alexea was the only one to pick out Starbucks’ pumpkin latte blind, based on the color.

“It looks a lot more orange because of the sauce,” she said.

Danielle said she preferred Starbucks’ latte, but added Latte Da did the best with meeting pumpkin expectations. Kaitlyn Woodfine also said she liked the Latte Da drink, because it was easy to drink, with just a hint of pumpkin. Elexus Davidson, Clare Kieswether and Allison Kuhnke all said they enjoyed Torque’s offering for its ratio of pumpkin to coffee. While Elexus would add some sugar, Clare liked that it was not too sweet.

The final score was four for Torque, three for Starbucks and one for Latta Da.

Retchless said he liked the habañero from Pines, much to the surprise of his students. Both instructors said they were impressed by the students’ accurate analysis and descriptions of the drinks, correctly identifying different elements.

There is a pumpkin patch full of local lattes out there worth tasting. If you’ve found your own favorite ode to pumpkin spice, share in the comments section of this story online. Or conduct your own tasting using the same slurping process as the culinary students, though you might want to warn your tasters if it includes habañero. Or don’t. It is the season for tricks with your treats, after all.