When J.K. Rowling created the world of Harry Potter, she created a world we wanted to visit, feel, touch, and taste. Some of us are finally accepting the fact that we may never get our Hogwarts letter, but thanks to the folks at Universal Studios, intricate detail has been afforded to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at both the Orlando and Hollywood locations. So now, we have the opportunity to step into the architecture and taste the flavors of the magical world we love so much.

In the tradition of so many fantasy epic’s Rowling spares no verbal expense on the details of the foods and feasts that populate the fantastical world — especially those laid out on the tables of the Great Hall. But despite being sparingly described throughout the books and surprisingly low-key on a rewatch of the movies, Butterbeer has become the trademark treat of the Harry Potter verse. We hear about Sticky Toffee Pudding and Pumpkin Pasties, but it's Butterbeer that has walked away with the crown as the champion food of the Potterverse. 

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Image via Warner Bros.

Described in the books as "a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch," Butterbeer has emerged above all pumpkin flavored goods and candy treats to become the indisputable flavor icon of the Harry Potter franchise. It populates every corner of both Wizarding World locations with a variety of similarly flavored treats, it can be hard to know which one is for you. That's why I've broken down the best of the best below.  It should go without saying that taste is subjective. I'm not crazy about intense doses sugar, so those of you who love a hardcore sweet kick will feel differently. But regarless, here's a breakdown of all the Butterbeer treats The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has to offer.

That said, if butterscotch flavoring doesn't do it for you, there's a lot more to explore. The folks at Wizarding World have put a lot of thought into creating real-world incarnations of you favorite Harry Potter Treats. Pumpkin Fizz is a lovely sweet drink for those who don't like Butterbeer, and perhaps most impressively, it doesn't taste like anything labeled "pumpkin spice". The truth is that pumpkin is a garbage flavor, but by combining it with apple and apricot juices, they've managed to make a "pumpkin" flavor entirely unique to Wizarding World.

Alternatively, if you're not looking for a drink, in Honeydukes you'll find sweets like Fizzing Whizzbies and Exploding BonBons (both of which indulge in the tropical fruit flavor of the spectrum), or chocolate based items like Chocolate Frogs (Yes, you can get addicted to collecting those holographic wizard cards), chocolate wands, and chocolate cauldrons. Basically, if there's a sweet you want, you can find it in Wizarding World.

6. Butterbeer Potted Cream

It's just.. a lot. It's not that the Potted Butterbeer is blatantly unappealing, it's more that you have to have a very particular taste for sweets to fully enjoy it. Straight up, I do not have that taste. The potted Butterbeer cream is the thickest, creamiest, and sweetest incarnation of the iconic Harry Potter treat. A butterscotch flavored pudding with a thick layer of sticky, bristlingly sweet butterscotch topping, there's no reprieve from the utter sugary thickness of this treat. What's more, that little dollop atop isn't fresh cream, it's a heavy frosting. If you like extremely rich sweets with an intense suggary sweetness, this is the treat for you. Otherwise, you'd be better served with one of the other options.

5. Frozen Butterbeer

This is a fan favorite, and no doubt it will irk some folks that this isn't higher on the list, but there are two factors keeping it from a top spot. First of all, I have yet to enjoy a frozen Butterbeer without brain freeze. Maybe that's a reflection of my own inclination to consume icy treats too quickly. Don't get me wrong, the Florida and Hollywood locations alike spend most of the year in a thick heat and that makes Frozen Butterbeer an ideal treat, but maybe because of that very heat, it's hard not to end up clutching your forehead in a brutal brainfreeze as you make your way to the next ride. Headaches aside, Frozen Butterbeer is a little too sweet for my liking, and too often congeals into an icy lump at the center of your beverage. Like I said, I'm sure I'll take my share of flack for this, but it's too sugary and too difficult to drink to land a top spot.

4. Butterbeer Fudge

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Fudge of any kind is going to be thick, rich, and supersweet, but with Butterbeer in the equation, things are going to be sweeter than ever. Here’s the thing about Butterbeer fudge, it may well be the most sugary of any Wizarding World treats, but you can take it home. That gives it a cutting edge against the rest. It’s not that I think other treats taste better in the moment (though I’m quite fond of Butterbeer fudge, but I come from a southern family where fudge is the norm), what makes Butterbeer fudge a real winner is the fact you can take it home with you. Try as you might, any Butterbeer drink doesn’t hold up on the trip home and unless you scoop the Potted Butterbeer Cream into another container, this is you’re only chance to take the magical flavor home with you.

3. Hot Butterbeer

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Image via Universal Studios Orlando

For many Potterheads, this frothy, warm incarnation of Butterbeer was the answer to a long-lasting call. While cold Butterbeer is a treat we can all enjoy (especially in the warm coastal climates of the Wizarding World locations), warm Butterbeer finally gave us an experience closer to the books. Cold Butterbeer has become a trademark of the theme parks, but in the story Harry, Hermione, and Ron were always ducking in for a warm brew to take the winter edge off. At the park, the warm Butterbeer is a bit creamier than any of the other Butterbeer drinks, falling somewhere between a latte and a hot chocolate…but with that classic Butterbeer flavoring. Personally, I struggle to drink hot drinks at a theme park, even in the winter when this drink is served (so far, only at the Orlando location), but there’s no discounting its deliciousness and in-world authenticity.

2. Butterbeer Ice Cream

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Image via Universal Studios Florida

It’s a soft serve ice cream laced with gorgeous little delicate ribbons of butterscotch flavoring. What’s not to like? As of now, the delicious treat is only available in Universal Orlando, where you can get your frozen treat fix at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Shop in Diagon Alley. They serve ice cream at the Hollywood location, but for now, only of the decidedly less magical variety —chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry peanut butter. But if you're at the Orlando locale, you're going to want to get some. Since the butterscotch is swirled throughout the soft serve, the ice cream is decidedly less heavy on the intense butterscotch flavoring that you get with some of the other Butterbeer sweets. That said, it is a heaping serving of ice cream, so it’s not exactly light fare. But if you want a refreshingly cold Butterbeer treat without the piercing sweetness (or inescapable brain freeze) of the frozen drink, Butterbeer ice cream should be your go-to.

1. Butterbeer

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The OG, and in my opinion, the best. A refreshing cream soda drink with a layer of butterscotch foam, the original Butterbeer is a nice reprieve from the heat and something you can drink steadily without earning a brutal sugar rush, brain freeze, or stomach ache. It’s not too sweet, it’s not too cold, it’s the perfectly concocted equivalent of the “less sickly” butterscotch described in the books. There is a trick though — don’t drink it right when you get it, give it a few minutes to let the butterscotch foam rise, and then enjoy the pure magic of tasting your childhood dreams come true. Maybe one of my favorite things about the original Butterbeer is the fact that you can have a few throughout your day without getting sugar sick. But even without that advantage, it’s the best treat to experience the cherished book-described beverage.