By Galia Madfis

I go to starbucks almost everyday on the way to school. It may seem excessive, but I need my caffeine boost in the morning. When fall started, I was really excited because it meant I could finally order my favorite drink, the pumpkin spice latte. I love pumpkin spice lattes, even though everyone calls it “basic.” However, I’ve ordered it almost everyday for a  month, and now I’m bored. That’s why I decided to spend a week trying different starbucks drinks, and finding out if there really is an alternative to my delicious pumpkin drink. Here are my rankings of the new drinks at starbucks you should totally try, or avoid at all costs:

Passion Tea Lemonade: 4.5/5

-The passion tea lemonade is an example of a drink that is almost perfect. It’s fruity sweetness is balanced out by the acidity in the lemonade. For a good tea, I would definitely recommend the passion tea lemonade, but as winter starts it probably won’t become my top drink. Still, for the spring and summer, I’m going to order this way more.

Starbucks Iced Double shot: 5/5

-I get this drink all the time, so it’s not really a change, but I still wanted to include it in the list because it’s the best iced coffee drink in my opinion. The iced double shot will wake you up, and unlike a lot of the iced coffee options at Starbucks, it’s not too watered down. My suggestion is to substitute regular milk for almond milk for a better flavor. Whenever I’m in the mood for coffee, this is my go to order to wake me up. 

Green Tea Latte 2/5

-I love green tea, and I love lattes, so I decided to try a drink that combines them. Honestly, I’m not a fan. The matcha doesn’t come through like you would think, and the flavor is too earthy and bitter. As I finished the drink it got sweeter and sweeter, throwing off the flavor. Overall, if I’m looking for a green tea, I will be sticking to the green tea lemonade in the future.

Cookies and Creme Frappuccino: 1/5

-Disclaimer: I hate frappuccinos so I knew this wasn’t going to go well for me. Still, I decided to try something from the “Starbucks Secret Menu” to see if a DIY drink could change my mind. The cookies and creme frappuccino is just a double chocolate chip frappuccino with white mocha sauce. If you are someone who likes sweet drinks I would recommend this, but for me it this drink was way too much sugar in the morning. The mocha sauce was okay, but every sip was too sweet, and my drink was watered down within 20 minutes.