As the leaves change color, the air gets colder and we venture deeper into the autumn season, this editorial board would like to focus on the most enjoyable element of fall: pumpkin spice lattes! 

Although it has spread pervasively as the culinary it-girl of an “American autumn,” there may be those who are unfamiliar with what pumpkin spice actually is. While traditionally a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and an occasional dash of allspice, there is a varied history of recipes going all the way back to medieval France. The spice we know and love was introduced commercially by McCormick & Company in 1934, dubbed “Pumpkin pie spice” for its prevailing use. 

Pumpkin spice was a commonplace item in any grocery store, but its real success started in 2004 when Starbucks bequeathed the masses with the greatest culinary trend since sushi: the pumpkin spice latte. As of 2025, pumpkin spice products have reached a whopping $1.1 billion in sales annually. 

Given its relevance, this editorial board took it upon itself to find the best pumpkin spice latte available on campus. Every latte was sampled and given a thorough review to determine which takes the coffee crown. Each was ordered hot and with oat milk if the option was available. Apologies to the riffraff who would prefer to order an iced drink while it’s 56 degrees and raining, but they were not considered for this review. 

Dunkin’ Donuts

Brandeis lies in the heart of New England, so it’s fair to say that Dunkin is the preferred option of most locals. For a reason beyond comprehension, the price of a small and medium latte at Dunkin is the same: $4.00. Their pumpkin spice blend hits a nice harmony between sweet and savory. Most importantly, the flavor of coffee is still very present, a common disparity between a good latte and a great latte. Dunkin’s pumpkin spice recipe may remain a secret, but it is known that their swirl syrups use condensed milk with brown sugar as a base, which tremendously complements the pumpkin spice flavor profile and gives the Dunkin latte its own trademark sweet taste. It also deserves mention that Dunkin has more options for a variety of pumpkin spice coffees, such as a shaken espresso, cloud latte, protein latte and their own signature pumpkin latte, which adds vanilla.

Starbucks

Expectations were high for Starbucks since they were the progenitors of the pumpkin spice latte, but the standards were not met. First off, the price was $5.95 for a small, far more than  the price of the Dunkin latte. The flavor is spice-forward and much less sweet than its Dunkin counterpart. While a spice-forward latte sounds enticing, the spice most present on the palette was nutmeg, making it taste like the whole-wheat version of a normal pumpkin spice latte. Starbucks also uses real pumpkin puree in their flavored syrup, but the overwhelming presence of actual pumpkin flavor ends up spoiling any redeeming factors. The purpose of this review is not to denigrate Starbucks, but a higher price tag does bear the expectation of higher quality.

Einstein Bros. Bagels

To our chagrin, Einstein does not serve a pumpkin spice latte. For fall flavors, they have a creme brulee latte and pumpkin bagel with pumpkin cream cheese and seeing as only one of these has the word “pumpkin” in it, our judgment falls on the bagel. The pumpkin cream cheese is a deliciously sweet option to add to an Einstein order. However, the bagel is not up to par. With a texture akin to a spongey stress ball, taking an actual bite can prove to be a herculean task. Along with a resilient exterior, the color inside reminds one of a yellowing sky that follows Canadian wildfires. Needless to say, get the cream cheese, skip the bagel.

So what does this editorial board recommend? To restate the obvious, Dunkin is your one-stop shop for all things pumpkin spice. It’s more coffee for less money and it just tastes better than Starbucks.