Starbucks’ annual fall menu has made its comeback for 2025. While some of the items are worth trying, others miss the mark. The menu itself has eight drinks, one of them being a new release, and a total of four food/treat items. I tried three drinks and three treats, and here are my thoughts on each.
On every fall menu, I feel that restaurants usually just overdo the same flavor, that flavor being pumpkin spice. So when I saw that the new Pecan Oatmilk Cortado was out, it definitely caught my attention. This was my favorite drink off of the menu, because it is not overly sweet and uses an underrated flavor that truly provides that fall feeling. 5/5. The other two drinks I tried were returners from last year, the Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte and the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. By using pecan again, the Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte was similar to the cortado, but it was just a little too sweet for my liking. I liked that they provided an iced option using the pecan flavor, but in the end, I would give it 3.5/5. Lastly, I tried the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, and being someone who is personally not the biggest fan of pumpkin spice, I was pleasantly surprised at this drink. The cold brew accented with vanilla, paired very pleasantly with the dusting of fresh pumpkin spice on the top. Shockingly for me, I would rate this drink a 4/5.
Unlike the drink menu, I was less intrigued by the selection of treats this year. I tried the Pumpkin and Pepita Loaf, the Baked Apple Croissant, and the Salty and Sweet Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin. Two out of these three items can be easily forgotten, and those are the Salty and Sweet Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and the Pumpkin and Pepita Loaf. The muffin being named “salty and sweet” is ironic because it only really provides a sweet flavor that ends up becoming overpowering. The lack of salty flavor mixed with the dense cream cheese frosting makes this item a miss for me. 2/5. The Pumpkin and Pepita Loaf would be the other disappointing treat because of the loaf’s dry consistency and lack of flavor. Honestly, this treat was my least favorite, and I would not recommend spending your money on it, as it is just not worth the price for its boring taste. 1.5/5. Breaking away from the pumpkin flavor, the Baked Apple Croissant was by far my favorite treat this year. The warm apple filling really adds the perfect touch of sweetness to the croissant, making it a 4/5.
Overall, this year’s menu, at least drink-wise, is worth trying. The use of pecan in the new release made this a new go-to fall drink for me. However, I don’t think you would miss much if you choose to skip out on the fall treats this year.
