Shelby Wallace
Graphic Designer
Fall is a great season to warm up with your favorite cup of whatever floats your boat. Every year, the shelves of grocery stores are slammed with holiday-style drinks.
You go through the drive-through and are in awe with the new limited edition beverages that you just can’t wait to get a sip of.
However, I’m here to tell you that you’re going to struggle between two of the most well-known and well-sold drinks out there- Apple Cider or Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Apple Cider has been around for what seems like forever. According to DrinkFocus.com, Cider making has been around since 55 BC! The site states that “When the Romans arrived in England in 55 BC, they were reported to have found the local Kentish villagers drinking a delicious cider-like beverage made from apples.”
Pumpkin Spice Lattes on the other hand, have only recently became a popular drink in the U.S. Starbucks began developing the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003 to compete with their other seasonal drinks such as the Peppermint Mocha and the Eggnog Latte.
In 2003, the Pumpkin Spice Latte was released in a few Starbucks stores. The following year, it was sold publicly, and became the most popular seasonal drink that the company had ever offered.
Originally, the recipe for Pumpkin Spice Latte did not even contain real pumpkin, according to controversial pseudoscience blogger Vani Hari. While apple cider on the other hand, has always been made with apples as the most important ingredient.
There are several reasons why Apple Cider is by far the best choice of the two. Despite being an old drink, Apple Cider has a unique versatility about it, that allows different orchards to make their own recipe.
This means you can find Apple Cider almost anywhere! Many orchards make their own Cider right from their own sweet (or sour) apples.
Pumpkin Spice Lattes, however, mainly are sold at Starbucks. You may be able to find a few knock-offs at different fast food chains but otherwise, the one at Starbucks is the real deal. While all the others tend to flop.
The health benefits of Apple Cider much outweigh those of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Apples are one of, if not the main ingredient in cider while Starbucks omitted the pumpkin in the Latte the first few years! This meant that you weren’t even getting the benefits of pumpkin.
Now, if made with pumpkin, it contains only a small amount for “flavor.” The fact of the matter is that Pumpkin Spice Lattes just don’t do pumpkins enough justice, while Apple Cider honors the crisp flavor and versatility of the apple.
Overall, Apple Cider is an age-old drink that has had plenty of time to grow and progress. Apple Cider has health benefits due to the main ingredient being the apples, versus Pumpkin Spice Lattes that barely have any pumpkin.
Available almost anywhere, Apple Cider is the way to go this fall!
