You may be one of those people who can’t help but roll your eyes when you see the pumpkin spice craze that comes around every fall.
You’ll tell your friends you don’t get the hype around it, but in the back of your mind, you know you want to enjoy a warm cup of a cozy, spicy pumpkin latte that makes you feel like you’re walking on a pile of maroon and golden-yellow leaves.
Don’t fight that feeling, give in to your pumpkin spice cravings!
Be a little basic, and try one of the flavorful fall-themed drinks and treats that can be found at these local spots.
(Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us.)
Cariño Coffee
901 S. Sixth Ave. #2
At this cute coffee cart, Itzel Herrera and Jonathan Ortiz are serving up PSL’s, but the “P” does not stand for pumpkin. Here, they crafted a Pepita Spiced Latte, using the nutty and slightly sweet flavors of pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds). The couple combined ingredients, including pumpkin seeds, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili, and cardamom, to make the homemade sauce that flavors the latte. Of course, it’s garnished with a few pepitas.
A Pepita Spice Latte from Cariño Coffee.
This latte is truly fall in a cup. It’s perfect for those who want to partake in the pumpkin spice craze but don’t want a sickly-sweet latte.
Chappopin Café
640 N. Stone Ave.
It’s Wednesday morning, and where’s Jamie? She’s where she always is: in line at Chappopin Café.
Chappopin Café has become a staple in my morning routine, and it’s all thanks to the amazing drinks Natalia Chappotin makes.
Their regular menu is already fantastic, but the fall lattes Chappotin has crafted this year have me addicted.
There’s a vanilla latte with a sweet, fluffy pumpkin cold foam. It’s perfect for those who want a simple, great-tasting PSL.
For me, the croqueta is where it’s at. The croqueta is a latte that’s flavored with Abuelita (a popular Mexican chocolate that features all those yummy warm spices) and topped with the same pumpkin cold foam. For an avid fan of Abuelita, this latte tastes exactly like the chocolate. It’s both cozy and nostalgic. Paired with the pumpkin cold foam, you’ve got yourself the perfect autumn drink.
Chez Peachy
501 N. Sixth Ave. Suite 101
Whoever said bubblegum pink isn’t a fall color hasn’t met Christa Lebron and her team at Chez Peachy.
This popular pink bakery has added some pumpkin-flavored drinks to its menu for the fall. One of the new creations is a special matcha latte that’s topped with a silky pumpkin cold foam, making the latte itself the perfect autumn colors: orange and green.
Other drinks on their fall menu include a classic pumpkin spice latte, a spiced iced-chai latte covered with pumpkin cold foam, and a pumpkin-cinnamon-roll flavored latte.
To get even more in the fall spirit, Lebron’s treats are also always themed. Most recently, she decorated her signature bento cakes with pictures from “Coraline.”
Espressoul Café
1525 N. Wilmot Road
As soon as you take a sip of a latte made by Eris Movahedi, you’ll find yourself wondering if there’s any flavors she can’t master.
Espressoul Cafe makes a new fall-inspired drink each week. This one was a pumpkin and banana flavored latte.
At Espressoul Café, Movahedi creates special fall-inspired drinks weekly, combining all kinds of flavors and ingredients to make lattes that always feel like a warm hug.
Since she changes the special drinks every week, it’s like a fun guessing game to see what’s next. Recently, she created an Aztec Soul Fire latte made with vanilla, cocoa, espresso and a whisper of chili. She also made a banana and pumpkin latte.
She uses real pumpkin puree to make her cold foam, so you get a mouthful of all the sweet, earthy flavors with every sip. You can also get her homemade, vegan pumpkin cold foam on your drinks.
Pro-tip: you can alter how sweet/less sweet you want your lattes here.
Harley’s Coffee Co.
316 E. Sixth St. Ste. 150
Even though this coffee shop is fairly new, they’ve already hit the ground running.
Harley’s Coffee Co. unveiled a fall menu that truly has everything you could want, and more. I mean … they have a carrot cake latte!
A carrot crumb latte from Harley’s Coffee Co.
Their menu consists of drinks like a classic PSL, a nutty brown butter and maple syrup shaken espresso, an apple-butter-flavored latte, and a cran-cherry, lime and almond Red Bull refresher.
The star of this lineup has to be their Carrot Crumb Latte, which is espresso flavored with a spiced carrot syrup and iced with a cream-cheese-flavored topping.
The spiced syrup is subtle and complements the taste of the espresso. Then you get that taste of the topping, and you’ll want to melt into your seat. It tastes just like cream cheese frosting, and I want it every single day.
Hebrews Coffee Club
1439 S. Fourth Ave. Don’t sleep on this hidden gem inside of American Eat Co. Their coffees pack a punch.
One look at Hebrews Coffee Club’s fall menu and you’ll be sprinting to your car and on your way over. A French toast latte with a cinnamon bun cold foam, a brown butter toffee shaken espresso topped with a fluffy cookie butter cold foam, a toasted almond mocha with an Almond-Roca inspired cold foam, and a pumpkin spice horchata latte are just a few of the drinks they are offering for the season.
I tried its shaken espresso and the rich, nutty flavors of the brown butter-flavored espresso blending with its fluffy, velvety cold foam, are heavenly.
A brown butter toffee shaken espresso topped with a fluffy cookie butter cold foam from Hebrews Coffee Club.
Can’t decide between what to get? No problem. It has coffee flights where you can choose four of the drinks to try.
Le Buzz (Plaza Palomino location)
2930 N. Swan Road
Somehow, Le Buzz continues to outdo itself every month. Its special monthly menus always have something delicious.
It is featuring three different spooky-themed drinks: an Ancho Medusa Mocha, a Black Widow Mocha and a Toasted Spirits Latte.
Its Toasted Spirits Latte features espresso, Ghirardelli white chocolate and toasted marshmallow syrup. The best part: The cup is decorated with cute little marshmallow fluff ghosts.
Pumpkin cinnamon roll pancakes and a toasted spirits latte from Le Buzz.
You can pair your latte with their pumpkin cinnamon-roll pancakes. You’ll be handed a massive stack of pumpkin pancakes topped with a brown sugar swirl and a drizzle of their maple cream cheese glaze. These pancakes have a slightly crispy exterior and a warm, fluffy interior that just melts in your mouth. Its pumpkin flavor tastes like the real deal too, nothing too sweet or artificial tasting.
Presta
501 E. Ninth St., 2502 N. First Ave., 100 S. Avenida Del Convento
This coffee empire is putting its twist on fall flavors.
Presta put together comforting, traditional flavors to create a fall menu you definitely won’t see anywhere else.
Its three drinks include the Fig Stardust (a tea latte with flavors of Hojicha, fig and star anise), the Harvest Moon (a classic pumpkin-flavored latte that can be served with espresso or matcha) and the Grey Skies (a twist on a London fog that blends together Earl Grey, cardamom, lavender, vanilla bean syrup and espresso).
Its Grey Skies latte is on my try-list, especially since you can get it topped with a dairy-free cold foam.
Sipping on one of Presta’s latte will make you feel like you’re enjoying fall in a Gilmore Girls-esque town and not in the Southern Arizona desert.
Rosebud Bakery
844 S. Sixth Ave.
If you’re looking for something with delicious flavor that’s not overly sweet, Rosebud Bakery is the place to go.
At this peaceful bakery, the October baked goods menu has all kinds of fall-inspired treats. Pumpkin spice scones, pumpkin cake with a smooth maple glaze, apple pecan crumb coffee cake, and pumpkin pie blondies are just a few of the items you’ll find. Trust me, its coffee cake is one of the best treats I’ve had. The cake is fluffy and moist, and the warm brown sugar and spice flavors make you feel cozy.
To pair with your goodies, they have a salted maple latte and an iced apple cider latte to choose from.
The Screamery
The Screamery does not use any artificial colors or flavors in their pumpkin ice cream.
50 S. Houghton Road, 2545 E. Speedway, 250 E. Congress St.
As much as we want to manifest the chillier weather here, we’re still seeing 80-degree days. So, The Screamery has created a flavor that’ll cool us off and give us that fall feeling.
To make its pumpkin spice ice cream, it mixes real pumpkin into a sweet cream base so you get that authentic flavor. It also adds in a few warm spices and home-made cinnamon cookies to give it that extra oomph.
If you’re looking for something a little scarier, it has a Spooky Screamin’ Sundae that comes with a warm brownie, cookie or butter cake, your favorite ice cream flavor, house-made sauce, and festive Halloween sprinkles.
Sonoran House
1610 N. Tucson Blvd., 2513 E. Sixth St.
It’s no surprise this popular coffee shop came up with a fall menu highlighting all kinds of snuggly flavors.
A cake pop and a caramel apple matcha latte from Sonoran House.
Sure, it has a basic PSL, but have you ever had a blueberry pancake latte? What about a S’mores cold brew that is topped with chocolate sauce, marshmallow cold foam and graham cracker crumble?
You can get both of those and more. Its fall menu also includes drinks such as a pumpkin spice chai, a caramel apple matcha latte, and a spiced orchard cider.
If you go to the Sam Hughes location, it also has the cutest Halloween cake pops made by All Things Sweet by Amber.
Yellow Brick Coffee
800 N. Country Club Road Ste. 3180
You’ve heard of a pumpkin spice latte. But what about a sweet potato latte?
Grandma’s Yams is just one of the drinks on Yellow Brick Coffee’s fall menu. It’s flavored with a house-made sweet potato syrup and finished with a marshmallow fluff rim.
It also has a maple cold brew that’s topped with dairy-free maple soft top and a Biscoff rim and spooky matcha latte that has a vibrant purple cold foam.
