Happy National Coffee Day, Ambitious Fam! Fall is hands down my favorite time of year for coffee because, well, ALL THE PUMPKIN SPICE. I’m a sucker for the warm flavor combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger—especially in my morning cup. While over the years I have established a few tried and true fall coffee favorites, I love to try the new products (and recipes!) that the season has to offer.
Keep reading for all things fall coffee!
On the go
Though my Nespresso machine gets a ton of use during the season (let’s be real–throughout the entire year), there are just some fall beverages that I can’t resist grabbing from coffee shops. The first is the Autumn Spiced Latte from Grounded Coffee Shop. The local shop has a great seasonal coffee menu, but I look forward to this particular latte every single year. SOOO much better than the traditional PSL (sorry not sorry). If you are a Northern Virginia local, I definitely recommend that you check them out! The owners are so friendly and they always have deliciously fresh baked pastries! If you are not local, head over to your favorite small coffee shop and check out their seasonal menus–I’m sure you’ll find a gem!
The other drink that I have to have on the road is the Iced Pumpkin Spice Dirty Chai from Starbucks. It used to be a menu item, but now I just customize my iced chai latte by adding a shot of espresso and some pumpkin flavor. Many people also seem to enjoy adding the pumpkin sweet cream cold foam on top as well. The addition is surely tasty, but for most trips, I opt to get the drink without the foam.
Coffee Pods
On the fall days that I do make coffee at home, here are the Nespresso pods that I reach for:
Pumpkin Spice Cake— A 7.77 oz capsule with pumpkin spice notes. Perfect for the days that you want a quick no-fuss cup of coffee with creamer.
Voltesso— A 1.35 oz mild and lightly sweet shot of espresso. I reach for this capsule when I’m experimenting with seasonal lattes.
Chiaro— A 2.7 oz slightly intense double espresso shot. For when lattes need a little extra oomph.
Seasonal Additions
Pumpkin Pie Spice— every coffee I make during fall is topped with pumpkin pie spice because WHY NOT. But seriously, it adds an extra touch of fall, enhances flavor, and there are studies that suggest a multitude of benefits to adding cinnamon (mixed into the pumpkin spice) to your morning cup.
Pumpkin Spice Coffee Syrup— My favorite pumpkin spice coffee syrup is hands down the Good and Gather brand from Target. I made sure to stock up super early in the season!
Maple Butter— I’m not quite sure who influenced me, but last year I discovered the joy of sweetening up my coffee with a bit of maple butter from Trader Joe’s. It also pairs nicely as a spread on waffles and on sweet/savory breakfast sandwiches.
TJs Maple Oatmilk— I have so much love for the Maple oat beverage from Trader Joe’s. I was ecstatic to learn that they debuted a pumpkin flavor this year! Can’t wait to try it during Vlogtober this year!
Silk Oat Creamer “The Maple and Brown Sugar One”— During the majority of the year, the Silk Oat Creamer “The Oatmeal Cookie One” is my coffee creamer of choice. However, the homie Breanna of thebreista and healthhustleandheart put me on to their new flavor–The Maple and Brown Sugar One! It is definitely fall in a cup and it takes me back to my childhood days of eating maple and brown sugar-flavored instant oatmeal. It pairs nicely with the pumpkin spice cake pod!
Recipes
Lately, my morning coffee has consisted of unmeasured pours of creamers, syrups, and pumpkin spice. In addition to my tried and true coffee recipe, I’m including a few new-to-me fall recipes that I want to try this year. Be on the lookout for a future YouTube video or Vlogtober taste test!
Maple Cinnamon latte— Still one of my favorite lattes no matter what time of year, the maple cinnamon latte packs in all of the warm fall flavors.
Pumpkin Sp-Iced Tea Horchata— I saw this recipe on Tiktok and it looked delicious! They had me at pumpkin.
White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Cake Latte— A simple recipe straight from the Nespresso website, but I heard great things about it on YouTube!
Pumpkin Cold Foam— This recipe from Midwest Nice is sure to add a little razzle-dazzle on the few days that I decide to drink iced coffee at home!
Mugs
This year I have been enjoying my seasonal coffee in my fall mug designs from Ambitiously You! In honor of National Coffee Day, I announced on the Ambitiously You Instagram page that there is a flash sale going on until October 1st–no code necessary. Click here to shop the fall collections at a discount!