Greggs beats Starbucks in pumpkin spice latte taste test as surprise winner is crowned
A content creator put five high street pumpkin spice lattes to the test, and the most famous name finished bottom of her rankings.
Starbucks might have made the pumpkin spice latte famous, but it has been beaten by an unlikely rival in a taste test of Britain's favourite autumn coffee drinks.
Content creator Beth, known online as @bethsaltbeauty, sampled seasonal lattes from five popular high street chains to find out which offered the best combination of flavour, price and toppings.
And it was bakery chain Greggs that emerged victorious, with its £4.05 iced pumpkin spice latte scoring a perfect five out of five for taste.
Perhaps even more surprisingly, Starbucks finished bottom of Beth's overall rankings, despite being one of the brands most closely associated with the autumn favourite.
Why Greggs came out on top
Beth began her self-styled 'battle of the pumpkin spice lattes' in September, trying drinks from Greggs, Starbucks, Black Sheep Coffee, Coffee Number One and Tesco Café.
She awarded points for taste, price and toppings, with Greggs impressing her on all three counts.
"That one is perfect for me. It's got whipped cream, the taste, everything," she said.
"The taste was 5/5, price 4.5/5, toppings 4.5/5. That's our highest one so far."
Black Sheep Coffee was another favourite, with its £5.49 offering praised for its combination of whipped cream and caramel flavours.
Coffee Number One's £4.40 caramel pumpkin spice latte also performed well, earning four out of five for taste despite lacking the extra toppings Beth enjoyed elsewhere.
Why Starbucks came last
The biggest disappointment was Starbucks, whose £5.50 pumpkin spice latte was the most expensive drink tested.
Beth awarded it just 2.5 out of five for taste, saying that although the pumpkin flavour was strong, she didn't particularly enjoy the coffee itself.
"It's just the Starbucks coffee I'm not a fan of," she explained.
Tesco Café's version also struggled, scoring two out of five for taste because Beth couldn't detect much pumpkin flavour. However, its lower price and generous cream topping helped it finish ahead of Starbucks overall.
The pumpkin spice latte rankings
Beth's final order, with her taste scores and the prices she paid, was:
Beth admitted she hadn't expected such a poor showing from the brand that helped popularise the drink.
"I was surprised Starbucks was last as they were the original place to sell the pumpkin spiced lattes," she said.
And after enjoying her seasonal coffee experiment, she is already considering making the taste test an annual tradition.