Food Fight: Pumpkin lattes

Il conte di Luna/Flickr

Question: Are you a true coffee lover if you add flavored syrups to your lattes and macchiatos and whatnot? Though I didn't used to, I now officially tend to lean toward "no" and here's why, embedded in a discussion of the merits of pumpkin lattes from local coffee chains Caribou and Dunn Bros.:

Caribou's take on the pumpkin latte is vaguely chemical-flavored, orangey-hued, and actually sort of bitter. The coffee flavor is smothered by the pumpkin syrup (which tasted sugar-free, though I didn't ask for that). A 12 oz. cup costs $3.56.