Each fall it seems like pumpkin spice takes over the market. From coffee, to pastries, to protein shakes everyone is trying to throw their product onto the pile. By far the most popular of these products is the pumpkin spice latte (PSL). People can be heard asking their local coffee shop if they have the drink even before fall officially starts. Because of this, shops often have their unique spin on the drink, so which one is the best? This ranking will walk readers through places to find a PSL in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and reveal which one is the best.

5. 7Brew

7Brew is one of the chain coffee shops in Siloam. They had various options including a pumpkin shake, but for the purposes of this article, I chose to try their Pumpkin Chai Latte. Unfortunately, the longer I drank, the more the chai became prevalent to the point where I could no longer taste the pumpkin. It was no longer a pumpkin chai latte; it was just a chai latte. On top of that, it became almost sickly sweet and a little too overwhelming to finish.

4. Starbucks

Starbucks could probably be considered to be the start of the PSL trend but that doesn’t necessarily mean that theirs is the best. While the drink wasn’t necessarily awful, it was noticeably artificial compared to the rest of the PSLs on this list. Additionally, although cinnamon could be seen on top of the whipped cream in this drink, it could not be tasted at all. The only redeeming factor was that the pumpkin could be clearly tasted unlike some others, but this alone wasn’t enough to take it to the top.

3. Doomsday Coffee & Roasterie

Another rendition of the classic PSL was put out by Doomsday in the form of the Thanksgiving Break. This latte includes not only pumpkin but also honey and butternut flavoring. As far as coffee goes, this drink felt very rich and full. That being said, the honey kind of overwhelmed everything else and made the drink a little too sweet. If there was a little less honey, I think this drink would be the perfect one for those who are a little disenfranchised with the original PSL.

2. Pour Jon’s

Pour Jon’s is a specialty coffee house located in downtown Siloam. That being said, their PSL was very straightforward. It was a lot calmer than some of the other drinks on this list. Additionally compared to others, the pumpkin became stronger and stronger the more I drank, making me feel like I was drinking a PSL. The only downside was that while I could taste the pumpkin, there wasn’t a lot of “spice.” I couldn’t taste any cinnamon or nutmeg, which could have elevated this PSL just that much more.

1. Ground Floor

Ground Floor Coffee is JBU’s student-run coffee shop, making it possibly one of the more popular spots on this list. That being said their version of the PSL might not have been unique in name but it definitely was in taste. Instead of putting in straight pumpkin spice syrup like some of the other places on this list, Ground Floor adds pumpkin butternut giving their version of the PSL a more natural flavor. I felt like I was not just drinking a good cup of coffee but one that was made with intention.

Photo courtesy of Heidi Kaden/ Unplash