FALL MENU: Above are some fall items rated in this article. In order: Pepperidge Farms Milano Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Oreos, Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte from Dunkin Donuts, Dunkin Donuts Graham Goldfish, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, Hostess Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Shake, Pumpkin Spice Wendy’s Frosty, Hostess Pumpkin Spice Twinkies.

‘Tis the season of orange leaves, crispy air, pumpkin spice and everything nice. Many fast food chains have added new seasonal fall menu items, which include different adaptations from the original Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. The autumn inspired concoctions range from drinks to food.

Two Scarlet Scroll staff members took it upon themselves to rate different fast food chains and their takes on the popular pumpkin spice flavor. They got four drinks: one Pumpkin Spice Latte from both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, a Pumpkin Spice Wendy’s Frosty, and a Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Shake. They also purchased five store bought snacks: Pumpkin Spice Twinkies, Hostess Cupcakes, Dunkin Donuts Graham Goldfish, Pumpkin Spice Oreos and Pepperidge Farms Milano Pumpkin Spice Cookies. Their rating scale is as follows:

The Pumpkin Spice Wendy’s Frosty was a solid 9/10. The cinnamon essence outweighed the pumpkin flavor to an extent, but all around had a good flavor. At a price of $2.99 for a medium Frosty, we would get it again.

Senior Jordan Saint John took the luxury of trying the Frosty.

“That’s really good [and] cinnamony. Yeah, that’s a good solid nine, it’s not overwhelming,” Saint John said. “I can’t really taste the pumpkin though. I think that probably would take it away from being a ten out of ten.”

The Dairy Queen Pumpkin Pie Shake was a low 3/10. The pumpkin flavor was nowhere to be found and tasted like a different mix of brand cereals in ice cream. The spice was once again a cinnamon taste, similar to a coffee cake, but each bite was a different flavor far from its name. 

Senior Savannah Montoya decided to try a taste of the drink.

“I’m tasting Cheerios. No, I’m tasting Froot Loops. Artificial sweetener. It’s not its spice but there’s no pumpkin,” Montoya said. “It’s spice but there’s no pumpkin. It’s like mainly the weird bits they put into it. [It’s] like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”

The Pumpkin Spice Signature Latte from Dunkin Donuts was a sad, disappointing 3/10. The pumpkin flavor was nonexistent, as well as the “spice” element. The aftertaste was very artificial, and although the drink has pumpkin syrup, it tasted like a simple vanilla latte with a hint of cinnamon. 

“It’s like coffee and then you take a spice candle and there’s no listed spice on it and you blew the scent at it,” Saint John said.

The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte gave a disappointing performance with a 5/10. For being the original drink, the only thing that made it stand higher over its contender, Dunkin Donuts, was the introduction of a different spice flavor consisting of nutmeg and cloves, compared to the average cinnamon taste. Even with a more prominent color, it still lacked the name’s pumpkin flavor. 

“I have a rosemary taste in my mouth. Floral and nutmeggy; it’s really strong. Where’s the pumpkin? This is so disappointing,” Montoya said. 

Hostess Pumpkin Spice Twinkies were delightful with a rating of 7.5/10. The Twinkie filling was pumpkin spice, allowing for the Twinkie cake base to be a simple vanilla, creating a lovely mix of light cinnamon, pumpkin, and vanilla. It would’ve been nicer to have a more defined flavor with the “pumpkin spice” element. Overall, however, it was fairly good.

The Pumpkin Spice Oreo was an upsetting 3/10. The only positive factor was its sweet smell but it had no actual pumpkin or spice qualities. Minimal design was put into the overall design of the oreo; on the outside it was just a Golden Oreo with an orange filling. 

“No, I don’t like it, I just smell [sweetness],” Montoya said. “It smells like candy corn. I would get a candle of this stuff.”

Pepperidge Farms Milano Pumpkin Spice Cookies were the worst out of every product tasted with a rating of 2/10. They were the only product to include chocolate in the cookie and it did not work in its favor, or should we say flavor? It was one of the few with a notable pumpkin flavor, but the spice was lacking and it worked strongly against the added chocolate. 

Hostess Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes were an underwhelming 6/10. For being the second Hostess dessert rated, we expected better compared to the high rating for the Twinkies. The flavoring was extremely artificial, making it obvious that the creators didn’t use any pumpkin puree in the ingredient list. The icing tasted and had the texture of fondant, with little to no sweetness or vanilla flavoring. The spice was strong, and had a nice mixture of flavors.

“This smells like a Michael’s [craft store]. Yeah, it’s mostly like a craft store smell. Definitely spice-y,” Saint John said. 

Dunkin Donuts Graham Goldfish was a mediocre rating of 5/10. The snack itself was only partially better than the drink it was named after. It tasted of the normal Graham base with the flavor coming from the coating that tasted like a little spice mix. The pumpkin was absent flavor-wise and the spice was primarily cinnamon as well. 

Overall, the rating was mildly disappointing for such a hyped-up fall flavor. The spice overwhelms the essential pumpkin flavor in the majority of items. Some items will not be missed after the fall season, and some will. On average, the drinks resulted in a 5/10 and the actual desserts were 4.7/10.