My Shocking First Experience With a Pumpkin Spice Latte By Chloe Clancy

        For the longest time, I was always super reluctant to try new foods, because of my food allergies. However, this summer, I broke out my shell, and expanded my palette during my summer travels. Surprisingly it was liberating to eat more than just pizza and chicken nuggets. Now, I was finally ready to dive into everyone's favorite Fall craze, the pumpkin spice latte, for the first time. I know what you may be thinking, "You're a teenage girl, how could you not have tried a pumpkin spice latte?" Trust me, I can't wrap my head around it either. I was clean, until last week. 
        It was a sunny Sunday, and I was home all day doing homework. My mom went out to do a couple of errands, and before I knew it, she returned home with two Starbucks cups in her hand. Almost immediately I knew what was in those cups. All over Instagram and Snapchat, they were being advertised. I saw several ads saying, "It's Back!" or "The pumpkin spice latte is finally here!" and just like any guilty consumer looking for adventure, I wanted to try one. Suddenly, I was holding the cup in my hand, and I felt genuinely excited to take a drink. 
        The cup was still warm, after having time to cool during the car ride home. I looked at it for a few moments, bracing myself, and then I took my first sip. Nothing. I took another sip and let it stay on my tongue for a little longer. Still nothing. I waited a couple more seconds, and then it hit me. I would describe this taste as twelve different spices brutally attacking my tongue at once. I hated it. I thought, "This can't be possible, I thought these were so good!" In doubt of my own senses, I took another sip. Then another, and another, and so on. I tried to decipher what I tasted. I thought the pumpkin taste was very faint, and overpowered by what tasted like nutmeg and cinnamon. My mom mentioned that there was whipped cream mixed in the latte, which, unfortunately, I didn't taste at all. 
        I was in denial. With every sip I took, I hated it even more. I like everything that's in a pumpkin spice latte individually, but mixed together, I'm not a fan. I took off the lid and looked inside to see half of a grande pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. It was a disgusting shade of orange, and oils of some sort coated the side of the cup where there wasn't liquid. It was not pretty. I finally came to the realization that I wasn't going to finish, so I gave the rest to my mom. 
        I was just as disappointed as you are right now, reading about how much I hate the world's favorite seasonal latte. I honestly thought I was going to enjoy it, since coffee has a special place in my heart. Now, a week later, when I tell people about my experience, everyone is astonished. I don't think I have met one person who has disliked a pumpkin spice latte. I've found this drink to be extremely over-hyped and advertised. I mean seriously, Starbucks released this drink on August 28th (yes, you read that right), almost a month before the official start of Fall. In the last week of August, everyone's soaking up the last bits of summer, not thinking about pumpkin spice and Halloween. 
        Now, my hatred of the drink could possibly come from the fact that Starbucks doesn't even make the best pumpkin spice latte, and I should have gotten it somewhere else. Honestly, after my experience I have no interest in trying a different one. I'm going to stick with the green tea latte instead. You can quote me on this, the pumpkin spice latte is overrated.