There’s no better feeling than sitting in a cozy chair on a brisk fall day while drinking a nice cup of coffee. As soon as the nights get cooler, people flock to their local coffee shops to taste their first sip of fall. Coffee is often associated with feelings of comfort and peace, making it the perfect partner in crime for fall weather.
In late August, coffee shops start rolling out their annual fall menus. These menus often include flavors like apple, cinnamon, caramel, hazelnut, brown sugar, maple and of course, pumpkin.
Coffee lovers get particularly excited when Starbucks announces its fall menu. TikTok users frequently highlight daily trips to Starbucks to try a new fall flavor. By the end of the season, they rank their favorite drinks.
Woo Kong, a freshman studying journalism news and information, likes to order his coffee with cinnamon.
“The taste of cinnamon reminds me of fall, like apple pie kind of, stuff like that, very chill vibes,” Kong said.
Spices like cinnamon are common in many fall drinks, including the famous pumpkin spice latte.
When asked what her go-to fall coffee order is, Julianna Manley, a freshman studying integrated language arts, said she orders pumpkin.
“A pumpkin spice latte, with pumpkin cold foam,” Manley said. “If I could order it all year long, I would, because it’s that good.”
Pumpkin spice lattes are a staple for fall. The drink tastes like autumn bottled up in liquid form. It is carefully crafted from pumpkin puree and mixed with spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. One can’t go into any coffee shop without seeing a pumpkin spice latte on the menu. The iconic flavor is by far the most popular order for the fall season.
Kaitlyn Whaley, a freshman studying history, is another student on campus who echoes this sentiment, further proving its popularity.
“I ordered a pumpkin spice latte,” Whaley said. “I just think it tastes nice, very fall-ish.”
If you aren’t a fan of the pumpkin spice craze, or coffee isn’t your style, another popular drink order is a chaider. Chaiders are a mix of apple cider and chai tea.
The sweetness of the apple blends seamlessly with the spice of the chai, making it the perfect drink for a chilly day. The taste will remind you of picking apples in an orchard.
Another must-try drink this fall is the newly popular matcha, but with a twist: a pumpkin spice matcha latte. The drink isn’t exactly on the Starbucks menu, but it can be ordered by asking for a grande iced matcha latte with oat milk, no classic syrup, two pumps of brown sugar syrup, one pump of pumpkin syrup, pumpkin cold foam and pumpkin spice topping. The result is a perfect coffee-alternative fall drink.
Other honorable mentions for fall drinks include a pumpkin cream cold brew, an apple crisp latte and hot chocolate. These seasonal drinks will not only quench thirst but also fulfill the fall aesthetic mood board.
These delicious drinks are perfect to pair with a fall adventure to look at the scenic trees or carve a pumpkin. Whether that drink is a pumpkin spice latte or a chaider, the common consensus is that coffee is a significant part of fall.
