Ditch the pumpkin spice and try these creative, cozy fall flavors in Tucson

Tired.

Basic.

Played out.

Boring.

For some, those are the words that come to mind when a certain flavor combination has taken over once again, eliciting an eye roll as they drive by a coffee chain and see in big letters the words, “It’s back.”

You don’t have to wait until October anymore to see orange jack-o'-lanterns take over the grocery store aisles. And as soon as August comes around, those lattes that combine warm spices and subtly sweet pumpkin start to appear.

Yes, I’m talking about the divisive pumpkin spice lattes.

Whether you love pumpkin spice or love to hate it, it's a fall tradition that isn’t slowing down anytime soon. But things are being shaken up; other flavors are now being thrown into the mix.

Maple, brown sugar and cookie butter are popping up on cafés’ fall menus everywhere, giving pumpkin spice haters an option to get in on the fun without being so predictable.

If you’re craving the cozy, comforting flavors of fall but have a strict no pumpkin spice rule, below are some local places that are bringing something new and delicious to the table.

Sonoran House

Sonoran House’s fall menu is full of various options with gentle, warm flavors, perfect for those who may enjoy matcha or tea instead of espresso. Drinks like apple pie chai lattes, spiced pear matcha lattes and an autumn bloom tea, which features hibiscus tea, apple, pear and cinnamon flavors, are all on the menu.

If you’re looking for espresso-based drinks, it has a maple cold brew topped with fluffy maple cold foam and a butter-beer latte, which is made up of butterscotch, vanilla and a silky caramel drizzle.

Locations: 1610 N. Tucson Blvd. and 2513 N. Sixth St. 

Holy Focaccia

For those who don’t want all the fluff or super sweet flavors, Holy Focaccia has your back. On an  Instagram story, it posted two of its seasonal drinks: a date and spice espresso soda and a pear ginger soda.

Dare I say, its almond torte is also perfect for any time of year.

Location: 831 E. 17th St.

Frost Gelato

We’re lucky to live in Tucson, because it’s never too cold to enjoy gelato. At Frost, the special September menu includes flavors like salted caramel truffle, tiramisu and chai tea.

You’ll get the best of both worlds here: you can cool off from the brutal heat AND enjoy a little taste of fall.

Location: 7131 N. Oracle Road; 2905 E. Skyline Dr.; 7301 E. Tanque Verde Road.

Bakery by Ren

This bakery/café in St. Philips Plaza not only embodies all the comfy and cozy feelings of fall, it also has the flavors.

On the fall menu, it is featuring drinks including a tiramisu Vietnamese iced latte that’s topped with a luscious cold foam and cocoa powder, and an apple pie matcha.

Location: 4300 N. Campbell Ave.

Presta

You can always count on Presta to come up with unique flavor combinations.

The first drink featured on its fall menu is the campfire matcha: an earthy matcha combined with its housemade toasted marshmallow syrup and sweetened with organic maple syrup. It described this drink as a “latte that makes you feel like a fall campfire.”

It also has a cozicha latte, an iced houjicha latte made with brown sugar syrup and cardamom cold foam sprinkled with toasted houjicha powder (houjicha is a toasted Japanese green tea).

Location: 4700 E. Sunrise Dr.; 501 E. Ninth St.; 100 S. Avenida Del Convento

Tucson Chocolate Factory

Tucson Chocolate Factory has made a name for itself thanks to scrumptious bonbons and mousse cakes, but did you know it also serves drinks? 

Its seasonal drinks include a Mexican hot chocolate and a caramel mesquite latte, both featuring those rich, spicy flavors that encapsulate fall.

(I know we’re not mentioning pumpkin spice, but it also has pumpkin-shaped chocolate-glazed cheesecakes.)

Location: 431 N. Fourth Ave.

Chez Peachy

Recently, Chez Peachy’s cinnamon rolls have gone viral, with people lining up at the door just to get their fix. So of course she had to come out with special fall flavors.

This month, the cinnamon roll lineup features flavors including apple crumble cinnamon; crème brûlée complete with the crackly crust on top; and maple brown butter.

It also puts its own twist on a pumpkin spice latte by adding some horchata to it. Here, you can grab a pumpkin horchata latte or a matcha horchata latte.

Location: 501 N. Sixth Ave.

Le Buzz at Plaza Palomino

The Plaza Palomino Le Buzz location always has extravagant monthly specials, and September is no exception.

It is kicking off the fall season with caramel apple churro French toast: milk bread churro French toast topped with warm caramel apples, a drizzle of salted caramel, cornflake pecan crunch and the house-made whipped cream.

For drinks, it also has a maple butter brew that’s sweetened with its homemade maple butter syrup; and an apple crisp latte that features apple syrup and is topped with dehydrated apple chips.

(It also has a pumpkin spice horchata.)

Location: 2930 N. Swan Road.

Harley’s Coffee Co.

Carrot cake has now entered the chat.

At Harley’s Coffee Co., it has a carrot crumb latte: a smooth latte that’s flavored with a spiced carrot syrup and finished with a silky cream cheese soft top. It’s like a slice of warm, spicy carrot cake in a cup.

It also has a brown butter and maple shaken espresso, called the maple ember, and an apple butter latte, called the cider grove, on its seasonal menu.

Location: 316 E. Sixth St.

Cal’s Bakeshop

It’s officially fall at Cal’s Bakeshop.

For the September menu, it has all kinds of delicious pastries, including a ube Biscoff brioche doughnut, an Abuelita chai roll and a classic cinnaroll.

It also has a blueberry maple latte, which is made with its in-house blueberry maple syrup and topped with a blueberry-flavored soft top.

(Yes, it also has a pumpkin pie cronut and a pumpkin cheesecake brioche doughnut.)

Location: 2707 E. Broadway

Ghini’s French Caffe

This beloved brunch spot is getting in on all the fall fun.

The September menu includes a campfire s’mores French toast, combining the sweet, toasty flavors of a s’more with fluffy French toast.

You can pair your French toast with one of the boozy spiced apple mimosas for the ultimate fall brunch.

(Calling all espresso martini fans, it does have a pumpkin spice espresso martini on the menu.)

Location: 1803 E. Prince Road.

Pumpkin but with a twist 

These drinks may include pumpkin in them, but they aren’t your regular pumpkin spice lattes:

Cariño Coffee

Cariño Coffee has brought back its beloved pepita spiced latte. This fall-inspired drink is made with Mexican-origin espresso and flavored with its house-made toasted pepitas and warming spices syrup. It truly tastes like fall in a cup.

Location: 3305 N. Cardi Blvd.

1989 Bakehouse

In its Instagram post announcing its fall drink, Chef Rose Trevizo said she wanted to make the Latina version of a pumpkin spice latte.

Thus, the calabaza en piloncillo latte was born.

This latte is made with its special piloncillo syrup, winter squash, espresso and topped with torched marshmallow fluff.

In the post, Trevizo said she wanted it to taste like an empanada latte.

Location: 745 N. Fourth Ave.