Pumpkin season and its associated beverages are here already
With the changing of leaves comes the infamous fall drinks selections at your favourite coffee shops
The fall season is finally here, check out these drinks to get into the fall spirit. (Unsplash/Prchi Palwe)
Pumpkin spice season is here and thriving, be it fortunately or unfortunately, is for you our dear reader, to decide. While I enjoy the occasional pumpkin drink, bake pumpkin treats like no tomorrow, and celebrate Halloween like a five-year-old, I can agree that pumpkin season does arrive too early.
This year, Starbucks launched their fall menu on Aug. 24 even though the official end to summer, the summer equinox, is from Sept. 21 to 24.
Starbucks is like the attention hog of the friend group — always doing ridiculous things to keep things interesting. What they see as interesting, the normal person sees as bizarre.
However, it’s not just Starbucks hopping on the pumpkin trend early. Every coffee shop you can think of is dishing out fall drinks like they are the oxygen to keep humans alive, and for many of us, they might as well be.
Starbucks has always been a leader in the infamous pumpkin spice trade, and this year, they came back better than ever. Truthfully, I’ve never been a “true fan” of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, but with the introduction of the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte this year, I was hooked.
I waited to try it because I didn’t want to seem like I was feral for pumpkin drinks, but now that I have, I can confirm I am indeed feral for pumpkin drinks. Despite my inability to digest dairy, I will continue to chug the pumpkin cold foam as though it were my life source.
I would not recommend the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte if you prefer actual caffeine in your drinks. As someone who consumes one too many espresso shots on the daily, I’d recommend adding in one to two shots of the dark or blonde espressos. If you’re trying to reduce your caffeine intake decaf is always an option, but at that point, might as well forget about the coffee.
However, Starbucks is not all sunshine and pumpkins because this year they have returned with the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato, much to my dismay. They have also introduced an iced shaken espresso version of the drink, that I will vehemently avoid.
Surprisingly, Tim Hortons has upped their pumpkin game in recent years. I was most intrigued by the Pumpkin Spice Iced Capp. As a connoisseur of the Iced Capp since my kindergarten days, I was excited to try this frosty new treat.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Pumpkin Spice Iced Capp. I had expected something much worse — possibly a regular iced capp with pumpkin puree dolloped on top.
Tim Hortons also excels at their fall baked goods selection. Their pumpkin muffin is better than Starbucks, but their apple fritter doughnut leaves much to the imagination. Granted though I am not a fan of mushy apples, so you could call me biased.
Local coffee shops are also jumping on the pumpkin bandwagon. A favourite of mine, Kaffina Coffee on King George Blvd, has the best espresso drinks I’ve tried in Surrey and I knew they would not disappoint when it came to their fall drinks.
Kaffina’s pumpkin turmeric fog was tough to convince me on, but they did not disappoint. I am not a fan of turmeric in my coffee, especially after years of my parents forcing me to drink turmeric milk — the horror. In spite of my traumatic prior experiences, Kaffina has an excellent, and perhaps unexpected take on what one might see as a “fall” drink.
Starbucks, Tim Hortons, or supporting your favourite local coffee shops — who makes your favourite fall drink?
