It’s that time of the year again. The leaves are changing colors, sweaters are now part of everyday attire and everything smells like pumpkin. Coffee shops are finally free from the curse that is summer weather – no one wants hot coffee in the summer. Seasonal drinks have at last become part of the menu again. Therefore, I’m here to provide my opinion on which seasonal drinks are the best seasonal drinks. I actually work at Caribou Coffee, so you’ll get some of the best tricks and tips to make your coffee experience that much better.
First up on the list, as everyone knows, is the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
As far as fall drinks go, this one is actually kind of bland. It’s just a regular latte with some pumpkin added to it. I know I sound biased when I say to go to Caribou if you want your general Pumpkin Spice Latte, but I firmly believe it’s the best place for it. At Caribou we use a sauce instead of a syrup, so you get the rich flavor instead of a sugary filler. I also recommend adding nutmeg or cinnamon on top of the foam in order to add a little extra kick. We call that a Pumpkin Pie Latte. Also, order it hot for the best experience.
White Chocolate Pumpkin Mocha
What’s even better than a Pumpkin Spice Latte? A pumpkin spice drink with chocolate. Ordering a Pumpkin Spice Latte with white chocolate is the best way to get the best of both worlds. While you could get other chocolates if you so please, white chocolate pairs the best with this pumpkin delight. You can get it hot, iced, or blended, but ordering it hot is the best way to fuse these flavors together. It’s quite sweet, so I would avoid it if you prefer more savory drinks, but I still believe it’s a great treat.
Caramel Apple Cider
Here’s my personal favorite on this list. It’s just steamed apple cider but with an added twist – added caramel. Hot apple cider with caramel is, in my opinion, the best way to end a hard day when you just want to wrap yourself in a blanket and watch Netflix for the rest of the night. It’s a secret menu item at Caribou, but you can order it anywhere you can find apple cider. If you don’t want the caramel, you can order it without, but the caramel is what makes this drink extra special.
Spiced Pumpkin Infused Cold Press
This particular drink is only available at select Caribou Coffee locations, however, it isn’t difficult to replicate. If you’re someone one who likes their coffee cold but still wants in on the pumpkin cheer, then this is the drink for you. All you have to do is order a cold brew coffee with pumpkin. It’ll have more coffee flavor than any of the other drinks on this list, but if that’s what you like, then this is perfect for you.
Hot Chocolate
This drink is available year-round, but it isn’t really until the fall season that people start ordering it again. Depending upon the location, you can get hot chocolate with milk or water and with milk, dark or white chocolate. Of course, the most popular combination is milk with milk chocolate. This drink is the best way to transition from fall to winter.
Chai
This drink is also available year-round. Most customers order it iced on the warm days of fall and hot on the chillier days of fall and winter. At Caribou, we make our chai with milk. Starbucks makes their chai with water in addition to milk. Therefore, where you order this drink is up to which recipe you prefer. This drink is the best example of a fall drink that you can order at any time of the year.
Pumpkin Chai
This used to be a fall menu item at Caribou, but it has since been removed. However, all the ingredients to make a pumpkin chai are still present, therefore it’s still available to order anywhere there’s pumpkin and chai. You can just order a chai and request pumpkin to be added. It’s very sweet compared to some of the other drinks on the menu but still qualifies as a great fall treat.
