The best season of the year is back: Pumpkin Spice Latte Season. Whether you need that pick-me-up in the morning before classes, something to warm you up during studying or if you need something to ease that crazy hangover from last night, the PSL is the go-to drink.
However, I, along with so many other people, am worried about gaining the Freshman 15. Therefore, I feel it is my civic duty to help out the world of healthy, or at least trying-to-be healthy college students by teaching them how to make that nectar of the Autumn gods healthier.
After weeks of hunkering down in a Starbucks on campus to do homework, I started to overhear the various ways people make their pumpkin spice lattes healthier. As I sat there listening to these orders, salivating at the thought of finally being able to drink more of my favorite beverage by using little tricks to cut calories, the idea for this formative experiment hit me: I was going to find the healthiest, but still delicious version of the PSL..
So, just like every brilliant person does when they don’t know how to do something, I googled the PSL and was mortified to find out that a grande PSL with 2% milk and whipped cream had a whopping 380 calories. After spending a decent amount of time messing around with the ingredient options, I came up with a few different ideas for how to cut calories. Thus, one of the greatest scientific inquiries of the 21st century was born.
The Experiment
After coming up with the options to try, I had to contrive a system that rated the drinks. I came up with four different aspects of the drink to test: sweetness, thickness, pumpkin spice flavor, and espresso strength. On a scale of 1-3, these criteria would be evaluated and ideally, the one with the highest rating and lowest calories would be the “winner.”
A friend and I then went to Starbucks to order the myriad of PSLs. The baristas, laughing at the fact that I was ordering so many drinks, even helped me out by telling me different ways that they had seen people cut extra calories in the past. After waiting for about five minutes and listening to all the groaning of the people behind me in line, the seven tall pumpkin spice lattes were ready. The experiment began.
1. PSL with Nonfat Milk
Sweetness: 2.5
Espresso Flavor: 2
Thickness: 2
Pumpkin Spice Flavor: 3
Calories: 200 (38 grams of sugar)
Notes: This is the safest option for those who want the closest thing to a traditional PSL.
2. PSL with Soy Milk
Sweetness: 3
Espresso Flavor: 1.5
Thickness: 3
Pumpkin Spice Flavor: 2
Calories: 240 (38 grams of sugar)
Notes: This was even sweeter and thicker than a regular PSL.
3. PSL with Almond Milk and Half the Pumps
Sweetness: 1
Espresso Flavor: 2.5
Thickness: 1.5
Pumpkin Spice Flavor: 1.5
Calories: 130 (15 grams of sugar)
Notes: Overall, I was not enthused by this one. It was significantly less sweet than a regular PSL and to me, I wouldn’t waste the calories on something that just tastes like pumpkin flavored espresso with milk.
4. PSL with Half the Pumps
Sweetness: 2
Espresso Flavor: 2
Thickness: 3
Pumpkin Spice Flavor: 2
Calories: 195 (25.5 grams of sugar)
Notes: Compared to the half pump with almond milk, this was significantly better. Still, not as good as the ones with the full amount of pumps.
5. PSC (Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino) with Nonfat Milk
Sweetness: 2.5
Espresso Flavor: 2.5
Thickness: 2
Pumpkin Spice Flavor: 3
Calories: 160 (sugar content unknown)
Notes: This was one of the recommendations from the barista. In a cappuccino, there is a lot more foamed milk than steamed milk (unlike a latte). This makes the drink healthier and adds a slight effervescence that readies the palate.
6. PSL with Almond Milk
Sweetness: 3
Espresso Flavor: 2.5
Thickness: 2
Pumpkin Spice Flavor: 3
Calories: 180 (28 grams of sugar)
Notes: This is a very good option because of its low calorie and sugar content.
7. PSL with Coconut Milk
Sweetness: 3
Espresso Flavor: 2
Thickness: 3
Pumpkin Spice Flavor: 3
Calories: 200 (33 grams of sugar)
Notes: The tropical hints from the coconut milk made this one immensely enjoyable
The Winner
Can I get a drumroll please… by my scale, the winner was the PSL with the coconut milk. This drink, by far, was my favorite one. It tasted the most natural and had this oddly tropical redolence to it. Calorically speaking, however, the PSC won. This drink scored only one point away from the coconut milk PSL but saves you 40 calories and, as I mentioned before, adds an unfamiliar but not unwelcome extra kick to the drink. I might switch this one into the rotation every once in a while too.
I would also recommend trying these calorie-saving tips with your regular drinks too. Expanding my palate and going out of my comfort zone allowed me to have a new and exciting Starbucks experience. The baristas were happy to help me with my little drink experiment and I’m sure they’d be happy to help anyone try something new. Now, while I’m hyped on all the caffeine and sugar I consumed, I’m going to go do some homework and probably not be able to sleep. Enjoy the rest of the PSL season everyone.
