Caramel takeover

By Maddie H. ’17

Pumpkin spice and everything nice? Not anymore. There’s a new boss in the world of Starbucks coffee: the Salted Caramel Mocha.

People are leaning towards the decadence that is salted caramel and straying away from bland pumpkin. Why have a drink dominated by on one flavor when the glorious Slated Caramel Mocha has three living in coffee nirvana?

“Caramel mocha has more flavors than pumpkin spice. You get the sweetness of caramel and chocolate but still have the taste of coffee,” sophomore Ashleigh D. said.

In retaliation to the changing fan base, Starbucks tried to revamp the Pumpkin Spice Latte by adding real pumpkin for the first time, but to no avail. Out of a survey of 90 students, 53 still tagged pumpkin spice as inferior,

Some pumpkin patch dwellers may argue Pumpkin Spice Lattes have fewer calories than the Salted Caramel Mocha and are, therefore, healthier. I say pish-posh to such irrelevant claims. Nobody drink coffee with the idea it will increase his or her physical health.

“I drink coffee for energy. I don’t care about the health aspect. I’ll fall asleep in class without it,” junior Emily G. said.

Going off that logic, Salted Caramel Mochas provide more caffeine, sugar and carbs to get drinkers through their days and only a two-gram sacrifice in saturate fat, according to starbucks.com.

“[The] Salted Caramel [Mocha] is a lot stronger than the Pumpkin Spice Latte; pumpkin spice is only popular because it’s a seasonal thing,” Starbucks employee Kendyl Harrison said.

The perks to Salted Caramel Mocha are limitless. It’s time for Pumpkin Spice Latte to clear out its office for the new top dog.

Pumpkin Spice classic can’t be squashed

By Chloe M. ’17

Let’s face it: the Pumpkin Spice Latte is the original fall Starbucks drink, and nothing is going to hinder its success. The veteran drink has reigned supreme as Starbucks’ top limited-time product for 12 years, according to the company website. Although its salty younger sister has made quite the caramel splash, this veteran drink is still the ultimate sip of the season.

The success of the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003 inspired a never-before-seen pumpkin spice flavored market. From pumpkin spice Hershey’s Kisses to Kraft marshmallows, no one can get enough of this classic fall flavor.

“It tastes like fall,” Bryanna B. ‘17 said.

The Salted Caramel Mocha, on the other hand, is a pale imitation of an already existing flavor fad not necessarily restricted to fall.

“Caramel tastes better, but it can be enjoyed at any time,” Christina K. ‘17 said.

While there is no available data on the popularity of the Salted Caramel Mocha since its initial 2011 launch, 200 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes have been sipped and savored since its initial release, according to starbucks.com. Fans keep coming back for more.

“I [order] it around two to three times a week,” Arianna S. ‘18 said.

The running Starbucks tab of Emma Roberts’ snarky character Chanel No. 1 is even more outrageous in the pilot episode of new television show “Scream Queens,” requesting her high maintenance Pumpkin Spice Latte order several times a day.

Adding to its star qualities, the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s own “official twitter for fall’s official beverage,” @THEREALPSL, has 121,000 followers. Its catchy initialism turned hashtag, #PSL, is mentioned in an average of 3,000 Tweets per day according to the company website. As for the social media hermit that is the salted caramel mocha? #SCM doesn’t roll off the tongue as smoothly as #PSL.

While the iconic drink is often placed on a social media pedestal, its reputation as Starbucks’ bestseller is not based on how many “likes” their posts receive.

“I [order] it because it tastes good, not for social reasons,” Bryanna said.

Starbucks drinkers like Bryanna soothe their tastebuds as well as their health when they choose pumpkin over caramel as of this year, when a caramel coloring considered a cancer-causing agent by the FDA was retracted from the Pumpkin Spice Latte drink recipe. However, Starbucks did not announce actions to take this carcinogen out of the rest of its drink recipes, including the Salted Caramel Mocha. While the new Pumpkin Spice Latte is no superfood, it is somewhat healthier than its caramel counterpart in this regard, retaining still the energy perks of caffeine and delivering its luxurious, but not overbearing, taste.

“In my opinion, the Salted Caramel Mocha is way too sweet; [the] Pumpkin Spice [Latte] is much better,” Starbucks barista Rachel Antinori said.

While the Salted Caramel Mocha is rumored to be the flavor to stop the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s reign, the heavy taste of the former is not enough to squash this gourd. The Pumpkin Spice Latte’s revered association with fall, as well as its expansive presence in social media and pop culture, cannot be trumped by a caramel-covered grain of salt.