As a teenage white girl, it is expected that I drink coffee, and I do. However, I really only drink it for the caffeine, which is reflected in the time I mixed some with an energy drink while pulling an all-nighter. (In case you are wondering, it was not that good.) Despite this, I decided to try some of the seasonal drinks that come out during the autumn season. Starbucks is famous for their limited time beverages, and their return is celebrated like the second coming of Christ. I wanted to see if these drinks were worth all of the hype.

   The first drink I ordered was the Iced Chile Mocha. When I initially heard about this new beverage, I was not sure what to think. As much as I enjoy spicy foods, I did not know how Starbucks would make this work. Nevertheless, I was willing to give it a shot. After receiving the mocha, I put in a straw, stirred the contents around a bit, and braced myself for whatever was in store for me. I took my first sip and: nothing, absolutely nothing. It tasted just like a normal iced coffee. I mixed the drink again in the hopes that the good part of the drink was just out of the reach of my straw. Another sip revealed that again, it tasted like nothing other than an ordinary coffee, and the promised spice was still nowhere to be found. Only until I stuck the straw to the bottom and drank did I taste a faint chile flavor. For a drink that was made to be spicy, it did not do the job, and my tongue was completely unaffected by it. After this disappointing start, it was time to move on to the next drink.

   Of course I needed to try Starbucks’ famous Pumpkin Spice Latte because it basically created fall. Again, I got the iced version because I was not about to order some hot coffee while the temperature was close to that of the 7th layer of Hell. This would be the second time I had tried this drink, the first time being years ago, and since then I had forgotten the taste. I soon realized why I had as I was sipping on the subpar latte. There is really nothing special about it that I could point out. It tastes just like what one would expect and nothing better. I enjoyed it, but the hype surrounding the beverage had made it out to be much better than it really is. After yet another dissatisfying coffee, it was time to test the final drink.

   My last drink was the salted caramel frappuccino. By this time I had already consumed two tall coffees and was more ready to throw up than force another down. Fortunately, this frap was not all that bad. A little sugary, I admit, but other than that I enjoyed it the most. However, the drink is not all that different from a regular caramel frappuccino, making it, just like the others, nothing special.

   All in all I was not too impressed, but I did not come in expecting to be. It is understandable that people are excited for these flavors because they are only available for the season, but they are not as good as they are built up to be. I do not urge anyone to go out and buy these drinks immediately, but I suggest that you try them for yourself and make your own decision.