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. Now, as soon as August comes around, they begin to appear in the form of a creamy, velvety latte that combines warm spices and subtly sweet pumpkin.
Yes, I’m talking about the divisive pumpkin spice lattes.
Whether you love them or love to hate them, pumpkin spice is a fall tradition that isn’t slowing down anytime soon. But as of recently, things have been shaken up; other flavors are now being thrown into the mix.
Maple, brown sugar and cookie butter are popping up on café’s fall menus everywhere, giving pumpkin spice haters another option to get in on all 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 that have those 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 their menu.
If you’re looking for espresso-based drinks, they have 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.
Location: 1610 N. Tucson Blvd. and 2513 E. 6th St.
Gabby Smoyer, right, a barista, helps a customer pick out baked goods at Holy Focaccia, 831 E. 17th St.
Holy Focaccia
For those who don’t want all the fluff or super sweet flavors, Holy Focaccia has your back. On their Instagram story, they posted two of their seasonal drinks: a date and spice espresso soda and a pear ginger soda.
Dare I say their 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, their 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 Rd.; 2905 E. Skyline Dr.; 7301 E. Tanque Verde Rd.
Bakery by Ren
This bakery/café in St. Philips Plaza not only embodies all the comfy and cozy feelings of fall; they also have the flavors!
On their fall menu, they are featuring drinks like 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.
Jenica Heintzelman, a barista, reaches for a strawberry syrup to make a drink at Presta Coffee, 4700 E. Sunrise Drive.
Presta
You can always count on Presta to come up with unique flavor combinations!
The first drink featured on their fall menu is their campfire matcha: an earthy matcha combined with their house-made toasted marshmallow syrup and sweetened with organic maple syrup. They described this drink as a “latte that makes you feel like a fall campfire.”
They also have a cozicha latte, an iced houjicha latte made with brown sugar syrup, cardamom cold foam and sprinkled with toasted houjicha powder.
Location: 4700 E. Sunrise Dr.; 501 E. 9th St.; 100 S. Avenida Del Convento
Tucson Chocolate Factory
Tucson Chocolate Factory has made a name for itself thanks to their scrumptious bon bons and mousse cakes, but did you know they also serve drinks?!
Their 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 they also have pumpkin-shaped chocolate glazed cheesecakes!!)
Location: 431 N. 4th 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 like apple crumble cinnamon, crème brûlée complete with the crackly crust on top and maple brown butter.
They also put their 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. 6th Ave.
Le Buzz at Plaza Palomino
The Plaza Palomino Le Buzz location always has extravagant monthly specials, and September is no exception.
They are 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 their house-made whipped cream.
For drinks, they have a maple butter brew that’s sweetened with their homemade maple butter syrup and an apple crisp latte that features apple syrup and is topped with dehydrated apple chips.
(They also have a pumpkin spice horchata!)
Location: 2930 N. Swan Rd.
The carrot crumb latte from Harley’s Coffee Co.
Harley’s Coffee Co.
Carrot cake has now entered the chat.
At Harley’s Coffee Co., they have 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.
They also have a brown butter and maple shaken espresso, called the maple ember, and an apple butter latte, called the cider grove, on their seasonal menu.
Location: 316 E. Sixth St.
Cal’s Bakeshop
It’s officially fall at Cal’s Bakeshop!
For their September menu, they have all kinds of delicious pastries, including a ube Biscoff brioche doughnut, an Abuelita chai roll and a classic cinnaroll.
They also have a blueberry maple latte, which is made with their in-house blueberry maple syrup and topped with a blueberry-flavored soft top.
(Yes, they also have a pumpkin pie cronut and a pumpkin cheesecake brioche doughnut!)
Location: 2707 E. Broadway
Ryan Najima, chef at Ghini’s French Caffe, prepares an order of Campfire S’mores French Toast.
Ghini’s French Caffe
This beloved brunch spot is getting in on all the fall fun!
Their 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 their boozy spiced apple mimosas for the ultimate fall brunch!
(Calling all espresso martini fans, they do have a pumpkin spice espresso martini on the menu.)
Location: 1803 E. Prince Rd.
Pumpkin but with a twist!
These drinks may include pumpkin in them, but they aren’t your regular pumpkin spice lattes!
Pepita spice latte from Cariño Coffee.
Cariño Coffee
Cariño Coffee has brought back their beloved pepita spiced latte! This fall-inspired drink is made with Mexican-origin espresso and flavored with their house-made toasted pepitas and warming spices syrup. It truly tastes like fall in a cup!
Location: 3305 N. Cardi Blvd.
Calabaza en piloncillo latte from 1989 Bakehouse.
1989 Bakehouse
In their Instagram post announcing their 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 their 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. 4th Ave.
