Starbucks and Dunkin are both large coffee companies that carry many seasonal drinks. With the fall season comes pumpkin, and both companies have pumpkin chai, pumpkin cold brew and pumpkin spice latte.
First up is the pumpkin chai. At Starbucks, the pumpkin chai comes with a pumpkin cold foam on top, while the Dunkin pumpkin chai does not come with any type of cold foam. It is just a chai tea with pumpkin flavoring. The Starbucks chai does not have an overpowering taste and the pumpkin blends nicely. The pumpkin flavor in the Dunkin chai does not mix very well, and the two different sips have completely different tastes. The pumpkin cold foam at Starbucks really adds to the drink, and is a favorite by many, giving Starbucks the win for the pumpkin chai.
The next drink both franchises carry is a pumpkin cold brew. Again, the Dunkin cold brew does not come with cold foam. However, the Starbucks pumpkin cold brew does come with cold foam. This boosts the drink, especially with a cold brew, because sometimes a straight-up cold brew can be a little overwhelming. The Dunkin Pumpkin cold Brew is atrocious. The first couple of sips fooled me into thinking it was tasty but once you get to the fourth or fifth sip the drink is horrible. The pumpkin flavor disappears and then it is just a cold brew for the rest of the drink. The Dunkin cold brew is also technically not on the menu, you have to order a cold brew with pumpkin syrup. On the other hand, at Starbucks, there is a pumpkin cold brew on the seasonal menu under the name of Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. A Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is phenomenal. The flavor is prevalent throughout the drink and the cold foam at the top is a nice treat. When the cold foam starts to mix in with the actual drink it is heavenly. This gives Starbucks another win with the pumpkin cold brew.
The last drink to compare is a classic pumpkin spice latte. The pumpkin spice latte or a PSL is a fall staple. Both Starbucks and Dunkin’s pumpkin spice lattes are great. The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is lovely and has a strong cinnamon flavor. After taking a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte sip, you can taste the spice. While the Dunkin pumpkin spice latte has more strength in the pumpkin flavoring, the spice aspect of the Dunkin pumpkin spice latte is more subtle yet still present. The pumpkin spice latte is a classic that both companies have down, so this drink is a tie.
Overall, I would have to say that Starbucks has the better pumpkin drinks. Dunkin put up a good fight, but the lack of cold foam on their drinks and sometimes light flavoring gave Starbucks the win. The pumpkin cold foam that comes with the Starbucks Pumpkin Chai and Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew gives Starbucks an edge that Dunkin just can not compete with, giving Starbucks the overall win in the battle of pumpkin drinks.
