In the fall to winter transition, our typical pumpkin fall flavor slowly gets pushed aside by winter’s very own peppermint, this forms two different sides to drinks. Cold or hot versions of these flavors are available, which makes for comparison to be more diverse. To make things easier, the two drinks being compared are starbucks’s peppermint mocha and their pumpkin spice latte.

Peppermint Mocha

This very special holiday drink is of course seasonal.  It is very flavorful. It gives off more of a hot chocolate-y taste rather than just being straight coffee but for those that prefer a stronger taste it can be added. The peppermint flavor isn’t overwhelming at all, you can taste it in every sip as you take in the warmth it brings, reminding you of sipping hot cocoa with a tiny candy cane on the side by the christmas tree. This drink is obviously superior, Christmas is loved by people all around the world. Rather than thanksgiving, (usually strongly correlated with pumpkin) which is only an American Holiday. It’s Christmas season so of course what better choice than the traditional peppermint is the clear and obvious choice.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

The pumpkin spice latte has been a fall favorite for many years. Something about the balanced blend of cinnamon and pumpkin instantly brings you to a feeling of comfort and joy. This drink is a crowd favorite and isn’t easily messed up (I mean, how can you even mess up pumpkin?!). The peppermint mocha on the other hand… is. It’s extremely difficult to perfect this flavor and every winter peppermint season rolls around and many restaurants haven’t aced the technique of achieving wintery peppermint bliss,  and not toothpaste. I don’t know about you but I don’t want a drink that reminds me of brushing my teeth. The pumpkin spice latte is served from August all the way to January. The longer timeframe clearly shows which drink the people are reaching for more.