Sophie’s Cafe has the best Pumpkin Spice Latte near Sauk Valley Community College

By Samantha Zellers

After visits to Dixon’s Dunkin and The Coffee Crush cafes and Sterling’s Sophie’s Cafe and 7Brew, all four were tasted and evaluated in terms of pumpkin spice latte. When it comes to the classic autumn drink, Sophie’s Cafe comes out on top. 

A good pumpkin spice latte has to have all the elements of its name in its taste, in well-balanced parts. Without pumpkin, it’s just a spicey coffee. Without spice, the pumplin tastes bland. Without coffee, the drink would simply be flavored milk. Pumpkin spice traditionally contains cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, and a latte is mostly steamed milk with espresso. Thus, a good latte should be smooth and creamy. The coffee beans may taste slightly bitter, but if they’re too bitter then they’ve been burnt, which makes for an inferior cup. Included in the rankings are prices, for students on a student’s budget.

Sophie’s Cafe had fairly good coffee, with a complex flavor. Coffee Crush had alright coffee, which wasn’t great but also wasn’t burnt. 7Brew seemed a bit too close to gas station coffee for comfort, tasting almost burnt. Dunkin’s coffee flavor was barely present, seeming almost like they waved the drink in the direction of a coffeepot. What could be tasted was fairly standard, neither bitter nor outstandingly delicious.

Dunkin had perhaps the best temperature for immediate sipping, and it remained warm for quite some time. 7Brew’s latte was a comfortable drinking temperature. Sophie’s Cafe nearly burned my tongue, but after a few minutes was perfect for drinking. Coffee Crush’s drink was warm, bordering on hot, and was definitely the coolest beverage among the group.

In terms of texture, Dunkin had an almost velvety latte. It was thick and smooth. Sophie’s Cafe’s drink was smooth, but not as creamy as Dunkin. Coffee Crush’s latte was a similar experience. 7Brew had a solid latte, the perfect mix of smooth and creamy.

Sophie’s Cafe definitely won out in the category of which latte tasted the most pumpkin spice. With a well-balanced mix of pumpkin, spices, and coffee, it tasted like fall in a cup. The drink was sweet, but not so sweet that it demanded a sweet tooth to be enjoyed. No, the dubious honor of having that requirement belongs to Dunkin. With a slight taste of syrup-type chemicals and topped with whipped cream, cinnamon sugar, and caramel sauce, this latte is definitely on your dentist’s list of banned drinks. Those who love sugar will adore this drink. 7Brew didn’t stand out one way or the other, though the pumpkin spice aspect was almost hidden by the strong coffee flavor. However, it did come with several free toppings, and latte art in the shape of a leaf.

Coffee Crush’s drink, regrettably, was in the beginning only barely passable as a pumpkin spice latte. With almost no pumpkin to speak of, the main tastes were allspice and nutmeg. When warm, it wasn’t a bad taste at all, and could be excused as a drink inspired by the pumpkin spice latte. However, as the drink cooled, it became bitter and, frankly, disgusting. By the time it had reached room temperature the drink had lost all similarities to the beloved PSL, and was actually a chore to drink.

Each cafe’s cup contained twelve ounces of the Basic White Girl national beverage, but the prices varied. At Sophie’s Cafe, money talks, and for the best overall drink came the highest overall pricetag. The drink cost $5.51, which is almost a dollar more than the next most expensive drink. 7Brew had the cheapest drink by a slim majority at $4.33, with Dunkin bringing the next cheapest drink to the table at a modest $4.53. Coffee Crush’s drink was a conservative $4.60, but for the drink it bought the price can be considered exhorbinant.

Each cafe had their good points and bad points. Sophie’s Cafe is the only place listed without a drive-through, and took the longest amount of time to brew. Dunkin is extremely difficult to drive out of, and Coffee Crush had very polite staff. 7Brew had a vintage drive-through charm, and is directly competing with the Starbucks literally across the street. However, in the battle of the PSLs, there can only be one winner, and that winner is Sophie’s Cafe of Sterling, Illinois.