SPILLIN’ THE TEA

Our fall drink reviews Starbucks Pumpkin Cold Brew

By Khushbu Asad ’26 Every coming year we get a new fall drink from

Starbucks. While we had many different options this year, I was most intrigued by the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew. It tasted very bitter at first, followed by a slight cinnamon aftertaste. The drink has a pumpkin cold brew coffee base, with a lot of vanilla cream on top. In comparison with other Starbucks drinks I have tried in the past, it wasn’t as sweet, so if you don’t like sweet drinks, you’ll definitely enjoy it!

It was $4.45 for a tall size, which is pricey. In spite of my dislike of pumpkin and pumpkin-flavored things, I found this drink to be very refreshing, and the pumpkin flavor did not overpower the vanilla. Rather, it was a good blend of vanilla, cinnamon, and pumpkin. It would be nice to have this drink and a bagel or pastry to go along with it. This is a great drink to have in autumn, as it slowly turns to winter, when you are feeling the season. I’d say this drink is perfect for those who love cinnamon, pumpkin, and vanilla! I would give this drink 4 cinnamon sticks out of 5. Jamba Juice Pumpkin Smoothie

By Ivana Maldonado ’26 With each fall season comes yet another pumpkin smoothie. Let me start by saying I’m not a big pumpkin spice fan, so I had to keep an open mind. After my first sip of the Pumpkin Smash smoothie from Jamba Juice, I thought, “Oh, it’s not bad.” I thought it would be bitter, but this smoothie was awfully sweet. Unlike most smoothies that are thick, this one was smooth and creamy. It smells like sweet milk and pumpkin and tastes like a pumpkin pie. Imagine taking some pumpkin ice cream and letting it

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Cake Queen Horchata Latte

By Rose Baik ’26 Autumn still lingers in the air, which means it’s time to get festive. When you think about autumn, the items that usually come to mind are pumpkin pies, falling leaves, sweater weather, and what else? Fall drinks! Cake Queen is popular for its tasty cakes, pastry, drinks, and coffees. I went there and got a medium-sized, hot horchata latte, decaf, with whipped cream, and I also got another horchata latte but as a cold drink to compare the differences. The drinks were $6 each. Trust me, it tastes incredible. It had a mixture of cinnamon, coffee, with whipped cream on top, making it a swirl of flavors all blending together to create the defining taste of autumn. The sweet aroma of cinnamon and spice was astounding. Personally, I enjoyed the warmer horchata latte over the colder one because the warmer drink suited the weather in SF more, giving warmth and comfort in this windy and freezing area. But the cold latte also had its pros. When you take a sip of it, the coolness of the horchata will genuinely refresh you. (Horchatas are meant to be cold anyway.) Overall, I give both drinks a 10 out of 10. They are perfect for this season and will make you think about the beauty of autumn as you keep on drinking the enchanted horchata latte.

melt, and that’s basically this smoothie. Even though my smoothie wasn’t bad, I sadly wasn’t bad, I sadly can’t say the same about the service. The price of the 16 ounce drink was over $8, and as you can see in the photo, they didn’t even fill it up all the way. Three words to describe this smoothie: pumpkin, sweet, and overpriced. My final thought is that the drink isn’t bad, even though I don’t love how sweet it is. If you love sugar and pumpkin spice, go for it. However, you’re not missing out by not trying the pumpkin smash smoothie. I give this drink 3 out of 5 pumpkins.