As school starts back up and students wake up early, Starbucks is the go-to before and after school pit stop for students to pick up their favorite drink! Before practice, at lunch, or after school, many Seattle Prep students get their daily Starbucks fix. We asked the student body what their favorite drink is during fall and year-round as well as their favorite location to pick up their drinks. From Iced Chais to Strawberry Acai Refreshers, Starbucks is clearly more than just a cup of coffee. 

After sending out a poll to all Prep students, we tested the most popular drinks and the fall classics. We reviewed them to help find your new favorite fall drink. The two favorite drinks of the entire student body were by far the Iced Chai Tea Latte and Strawberry Acai Refresher, and it is no surprise why. If you are looking for a tea drink with hints of cinnamon and spice, try the Iced Chai! Although it is extremely sweet and on the milkier side, it is a classic all-around drink; best with vanilla sweet cream cold foam! For fans of fruity and refreshing beverages, the Strawberry Acai Refresher or a “cup of summer” would be best option! In our opinion, the refresher was too sweet, but is a go to for non-coffee drinkers. Both drinks appeal to their specific audiences, and for you, Prep, we urge you to try the Iced Chai over the refresher. 

Now that classes have been in full swing for a month, and it is officially rainy season, fall drinks can now be part of our daily routine. This year Starbucks brought back their classics such as the Pumpkin Cold Brew and the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte. Starbucks also added a few new drinks to the menu; the most popular according to Prep was the Pumpkin Cream Chai. Starbucks also released an Iced Apple Crisp Oat Milk Shaken espresso. After tasting each drink, we agreed that the Pumpkin Cream Chai and Pumpkin Cold Brew were the best of the season. The Pumpkin Cream Chai has loads of pumpkin flavor and sweetness. If you want to embrace the start of many rainy days get the Pumpkin Cream Chai. For coffee lovers, we recommend getting the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, it still has subtle pumpkin flavor but with less sugar. Although the pumpkin spice latte is a classic it’s not a favorite this year among Prep Students. While we had high hopes for the Apple Crisp Oat Milk shaken espresso it did not live up to our expectations. It tasted like a blended apple pie with a slight undertone of coffee.  

When stopping at the Eastlake Starbucks after school or one of the four University Village locations do not forget to pick up your favorite fall drink! Get the Pumpkin Cream Chai and you won’t regret it!