As the leaves begin to fall and the air turns crisp, coffee shops start to welcome the arrival of popular and delicious fall-themed items. Starbucks, in particular, is famous for its pumpkin chai latte, which has a thick, airy, flavourful consistency. However, due to the love and desire for Starbucks drinks, most people don’t consider the unhealthy nature of pumpkin chai lattes. I will be comparing the Starbucks pumpkin chai latte with a homemade version, focusing on the contents of each.

Starbucks Pumpkin Chai Latte

Starbucks has always been a very popular choice for teens and adults. Their hit drinks tend to be their season-themed drinks. But what really gets people excited is when fall comes rolling around and it’s time for pumpkin-themed everything, with one of Starbucks’ more popular items, the pumpkin chai latte. The thick foam is like a burst of flavor in your mouth, a frothy sensation that is satisfying to taste and strong in flavor. Though the pumpkin chai latte itself is quite tasty, it is very sweet and sugary. There are 460 calories and 150 of those calories are from fat. Along with 55 milligrams of cholesterol, 66 grams of sugar and 95 milligrams of caffeine in one grande. In addition to these negatives, a grande pumpkin chai latte is $6.25. 

Homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte 

Picture a pumpkin chai latte with less sugar that still represents fall in a cup. There is a Starbucks pumpkin creamer at Target to have the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor, without overpowering the chai. While going to Starbucks to order a pumpkin chai latte is easier than making it yourself, making the beverage at home is the more affordable option in the long run. At Target, the almond milk was $1.25, the Tazo chai tea was $6.49, the Starbucks pumpkin creamer was $5.39 and the half and half was $7.29. To purchase all of the ingredients at home, the total costs $20.42. This accounts for the amount of content that could make up to 30 pumpkin chai lattes, compared to Starbucks, where you could barely purchase four pumpkin chai lattes for the same price. Therefore, the homemade option would be the better, healthier alternative. In addition, the homemade pumpkin chai latte was very flavorful and had a strong taste of pumpkin, yet it didn’t dominate the chai aspect. 

Infographic by Lily Skinner

Overall, the taste of both the Starbucks and homemade pumpkin chai lattes was both savory and sweet; the ingredients were what made me question the Starbucks drink more. The amount of sugar and calories within the drink makes it difficult to enjoy and inconvenient to order again, making the homemade pumpkin chai latte the ideal choice.