Pumpkin lovers are in luck with Jamba Juice’s Pumpkin Smash and Starbucks’s Pumpkin Spice Latte

Hot or cold? Starbucks or Jamba Juice? The latte or the smoothie? According to the weather, it shouldn’t be too hard to decide, and it really isn’t.

The first taste of Jamba Juice’s Pumpkin Smash is what you would expect, if you leave out the sugar. An original pumpkin flavor is embedded into the cold icy smoothie. Advertised as a seasonal drink, the Pumpkin Smash has a taste of cinnamon and nutmeg as well. This drink gives an early start to the holidays of turkey and pumpkin pie, although it may feel like it’s just another artificial drink with too much sugar.

But caution: drink this smoothie in intervals rather than quenched throat because instead of thirst relief, it floods your taste buds with continuous cups of sugar. Compared to other famous Jamba Juice drinks like the original Mango-a-go-go or Caribbean passion, the Pumpkin Smash just doesn’t taste as refreshing. The good news is that this Pumpkin Smash is here for a limited time only.

On the other hand, the Starbucks Pumpkin Latte is not nearly flavored as strongly as the Pumpkin Smash. Even though, the pumpkin taste adds that extra zing, without careful smelling and whiffing, it’s almost impossible to tell that there was even any pumpkin flavor added into it. With hints of cinnamon, the burnt-orange drink gives you the feeling of warmth while sitting next to the fireplace on a snowy day.  Even if you don’t like pumpkin, the Pumpkin Spice Latte can still be a good choice to get into the spirit of the season. But if you don’t like coffee, then you would probably want to stick to Jamba Juice, rather than Starbucks.

Whether or not you’re a pumpkin fan, given that the weather is gradually getting colder, the Starbucks latte earns its points, while the Jamba Juice Pumpkin Smash doesn’t quite measure up. The excess sugar definitely brings it down a level and plus who wants to put on those extra pounds when Thanksgiving is around the corner?

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