8 Popular Coffee Chain Lattes, Ranked

If you're like a lot of people, your morning can't start without a good cup of coffee. And even though classic drip coffee is quick and economical, sometimes what you really want is a latte — something creamy, flavorful, and with that important kick of espresso. Sure you can make a latte at home, but only if you have the right set up. But, thankfully, there are so many coffee shops out there that will make you the perfect latte without ever having to get out of your car. But which ones are worth handing over your hard earned money for?

We taste tested some of the most popular lattes at well-known national chains to determine the best choice to fuel you through your day. Whether you prefer a classic flavor like caramel or want something a bit more unique like French toast, we tried to cover the gamut of flavors. We ranked each latte based on how accurate the flavor was to its description and its overall sweetness level (meaning, was it a pure sugar bomb or was espresso the only flavor present? — balance is key) to crown the best of the best.

I'm a fan of Starbucks caramel brûlée latte, so I was excited to try 7 Brew's version. Since Starbucks' latte is seasonal, whereas the crème brûlée latte is a regular offering at 7 Brew, I had high hopes I could enjoy one of my favorites year-round. However, I was left extremely disappointed.

To make its crème brûlée latte, 7 Brew combines toasted marshmallow syrup with salted caramel syrup and cane sugar. But instead of tasting anything like a crème brûlée dessert, it tasted more like I was drinking pure sugar. Unfortunately, it didn't have any distinct flavor, let alone one reminiscent of crème brûlée. And the lack of resemblance to caramel or crème brûlée wasn't the only reason it received last place. The overwhelming sweetness drowned out all taste of espresso, which, in my opinion, still needs to be present to some extent in order to distinguish a latte from a decadent hot chocolate, milkshake, or other type of dessert-like drink. The great thing about 7 Brew though is its huge variety of syrups and secret menu drinks, so I would recommend choosing something else from its extensive options if you find yourself at this coffee chain.

You may have heard that you can upgrade your French toast by adding a splash of coffee creamer to your recipe, but what about the other way around? A twist on French toast, Aroma Joe's Paris Toast is a signature latte flavor that combines maple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and shortbread flavored syrups to recreate this classic breakfast dish. While a lot of these syrup flavors can be found at various coffee shops, you don't often see them mixed together, especially alongside a unique flavor like shortbread.

I like anything shortbread so I was looking forward to trying this latte, but was unfortunately let down big time. With that many syrups in one drink, it might not be too big of a surprise to know that this latte ended up being way too sweet. It was basically a sugar bomb. I could feel the sugar coating my tongue and my teeth. Yes, I could taste the resemblance to French toast unlike 7 Brew's lack of resemblance to crème brûlée, but it wasn't worth the sugar crash. Plus, I do want to taste the coffee in my latte, not just the milk and syrups.

Unlike some of the other coffee shops on this list, Dunkin Donuts has a more streamlined menu of syrups that include varieties of classic flavors like caramel, vanilla, and mocha. Other than its seasonal offerings, the most unique latte flavor that it offers on the regular menu is the butter pecan. Since this flavor isn't one you often find on coffee shop menus, I was extra intrigued to try it considering it made it onto Dunkin Donuts limited menu.

And while this latte definitely tasted like butter pecan, I wouldn't necessarily say that I loved it. The accuracy of the flavor was there, but I found it to be overly sweet to the point where it would be difficult to finish even the smallest size. It still wasn't as sweet as Aroma Joe's Paris Toast latte though, outranking it by one spot. If you don't mind sweet drinks and are a huge fan of butter pecan flavored things, then you may enjoy this latte. But if you could take or leave butter pecan as a flavor, I'd leave this latte at the door and go for something else.

Even though sweetness can be a con when it comes to lattes, it actually works in Aroma Joe's favor in its Avalanche latte. This signature latte is made with white chocolate, mocha, and caramel syrups — three popular syrup flavors that are often found individually, but not typically combined into a single drink.

I went into drinking this latte with an expectation that it would be on the sweeter side and I was correct. However, the sweetness wasn't overwhelming. Instead, the sweetness level made sense with this specific syrup combination and actually resulted in a more balanced flavor profile when mixed with the espresso. So even though it was slightly sweeter than the butter pecan latte from Dunkin Donuts, it just tasted better overall because it was well-balanced, thus outranking it by one spot. Just note, if you are more of a coffee purist, this still probably wouldn't be your favorite. But in terms of overall taste, it's a great choice if you prefer sweet drinks or just want to treat yourself once in a while!

Now this is the latte for the coffee purists. While the other lattes up to this point on the list trended toward the sweeter side, the caramel latte from Dunkin Donuts actually went the other direction. Although I could taste that there was caramel syrup in it, the flavor wasn't immediately prominent. In fact, I noted the taste of espresso before I really picked up on the taste of caramel. I personally prefer lattes that aren't as sweet, so this was more my speed.

But with that said, it also wasn't as balanced flavor-wise as it could have been. It really only needed a little bit more caramel syrup for it to have that perfect sweetness-to-espresso ratio that the rest of the lattes that ranked higher on this list had. But overall, it was a solid latte landing it a position right in the middle of the pack.

I have to admit, after trying 7 Brew's crème brûlée latte, I had very low expectations for its toasted marshmallow latte. After all, since the toasted marshmallow syrup is also used in the crème brûlée latte, I assumed it would be similar and way too sweet for my liking. After my first sip I had to immediately take a second (and third and fourth) sip to make sure my taste buds weren't deceiving me.

Instead of being met with sugar overload, I was greeted with the most perfectly toasted, slightly smokey marshmallow flavor. It was almost as if someone had taken a marshmallow straight from the campfire and melted it directly into my latte. This was one of the few flavors where the taste accurately matched the description. If you're familiar with unique coffee creamers, it reminded me of a sweetened, creamier version of the Nut Pods Toasted Marshmallow flavored creamer.

Not only was it not too sweet, it actually complimented the flavor of the espresso perfectly. This delicious balance is what earned this latte the number three spot. The only reason it didn't rank higher was simply that the other two latte flavors were a bit more prominent, while still having the right balance between the taste of the espresso and the syrup.

The Cinnamon Dolce latte has been a staple drink on the regular Starbucks menu for years, with people confirming it has been around since at least 2010, maybe even earlier. Unlike certain syrups that are used in Starbucks' seasonal drinks, the Cinnamon Dolce syrup is always available, minus the sugar-free version, which was sadly one of Starbucks' discontinued syrups in 2021.

Starbucks' Cinnamon Dolce latte has always been one of my favorites, so I was happy to see my love for this drink reflected accurately in the rankings. But I promise my reason for giving it the number two spot isn't biased. Starbucks is one of the biggest coffee chains for a reason, and it has every one of its drinks down to a science and dialed in. The flavor of the syrup pairs perfectly with the espresso, and the Cinnamon Dolce flavor delivers everything you would want — hints of warm subtle cinnamon sugar that give off a yummy creamy taste, rather than being saccharine sweet or too spicy from the cinnamon. Starbucks' Cinnamon Dolce latte is a well-rounded drink that both coffee purists and fans of sweet treats will love.

Pistachio seems to be trending and Starbucks is taking note with its many pistachio-flavored drinks, including its pistachio latte. To be honest, it wasn't even a competition between the rest of the lattes on this list (except for maybe Starbuck's Cinnamon Dolce and 7 Brew's toasted marshmallow latte), as these three were clearly leagues above the rest in both flavor accuracy and having a well-balanced taste.

So when it came down to picking the number one spot between this and the Cinnamon Dolce latte, I had to give in to my personal preference. Since both fared similarly in terms of ranking criteria, I just found that I like the flavor of the pistachio latte more than the Cinnamon Dolce latte — it's as simple as that. It was nutty and sweet without having any sort of artificial aftertaste, and I personally love pistachio flavored treats. So even though I chose the pistachio latte as the winner of this ranking, I encourage you to give both of the top two spots a try to discover your favorite.

For this ranking, instead of taste testing plain lattes, I chose to rank flavored lattes that have been around for a while on each coffee shop's menu. After all, each latte must be good enough to have stood the test of time with customers and receive a permanent place on the menu. To determine the best, I judged each latte on its level of sweetness (did it lack sweetness or was it overly sweet to the point where it drowned out the flavor of the coffee?) and the accuracy of the flavor (does it taste like it was advertised/was it obvious what flavors were present?).