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For many, pumpkin season is the unofficial start of fall. It’s when coffee shops advertise pumpkin spice lattes, when grocery stores are filled with pumpkin spice versions of pretty much everything and visiting pumpkin patches is the designated weekend outing.
But for those who want to expand their palate beyond the ubiquitous Starbucks PSL while still getting their caffeine jolt, here are the fall drink offerings at a variety of Peninsula coffee shops.
Blue Bottle Coffee, multiple locations
The Oakland-founded roastery now has locations in San Mateo, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Santa Clara and more. Blue Bottle is offering two seasonal drinks this year: the Fall Latte and the Orange Cream NOLA, available until Oct. 27 or while supplies last.
The Fall Latte ($8), available hot or iced, uses orange blossom syrup from the pink House alchemy brand and is topped with freshly cracked black cardamom.
The Orange Cream NOLA ($6.50) is a play on Blue Bottle’s classic NOLA, a New Orleans-style iced coffee cold-brewed with roasted chicory and mixed with cane sugar and your choice of milk. This autumnal version, available hot or iced, replaces the sugar with a vanilla-orange syrup from pink House alchemy.
Coffeebar, multiple locations
Founded in Truckee by former competitive skier Greg Buchheister in 2010, Coffeebar now has three Peninsula cafes with a fourth on the way in Los Altos. Its fall drinks will be available until early spring, according to senior marketing manager Tyler Laney.
Coffeebar’s Banana Bread Latte is made with housemade banana bread syrup (crafted with real banana puree, brown sugar and vanilla) and topped with cinnamon ($7-$8.25). Its Pumpkin Pie Latte features pumpkin puree, brown sugar and fall spices and is topped with cardamom ($7-$8.25). For chocolate lovers, the Spiced Orange Mocha features a Sichuan-infused orange syrup and housemade chocolate sauce and is topped with cocoa powder ($7-$8.25). All three are available iced or hot.
For tea drinks, Coffeebar has launched a Rosemary Matcha with housemade rosemary syrup infused with allspice, sage and cardamom and topped with rosemary sugar ($7-$8.25). Coffeebar also introduced a Thai Iced Tea with sweetened condensed milk and agave ($7.75).
For those looking to avoid caffeine, the Autumn Spice Tea Latte features housemade apple-cinnamon tea syrup and rooibos concentrate and is topped with apple tea sugar ($6.75-$8), and its Autumn Spice Cider is made with apple juice and apple-cinnamon tea syrup ($6.50-$7.75).
Want to add a touch of pumpkin to your beverage? Coffeebar’s Pumpkin Puff Cream ($1.50), made with pumpkin puree and vanilla agave, can be added to any iced drink.
Con Azucar Cafe, Redwood City
This San Jose-founded franchise expanded to Redwood City in June and is offering seasonal drinks through Nov. 30. In addition to a classic hot or iced Pumpkin Spice Latte ($7-$7.70), Con Azucar is offering Pumpkin Pie Chai (an iced chai latte with pumpkin cold foam, $8-$8.50), Pilloncillo Cold Brew with Pumpkin Cold Foam (made with cafe de olla cold brew, $7-$7.70) and Shaken Pumpkin Espresso ($7.80).
Coupa Cafe, multiple locations
Created by Nancy Coupal in 2004, this Venezuelan-influenced cafe has locations in Redwood City, Palo Alto, Los Altos and Stanford.
Coupa Cafe is offering a Pumpkin Spice Frappe and Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is made with tiger spice chai and pumpkin syrup and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles ($5.85-$6.40). These drinks will be offered “throughout the Holiday season,” Coupal wrote in an email.
Covour Coffee, Palo Alto
This Midtown coffee shop is offering a lineup of four seasonal beverages from now to Dec. 1. Returning beverages include a Pumpkin Pie Latte with pumpkin puree, condensed milk, cinnamon and a pumpkin cream top and Cafe de Olla with piloncillo, spices, orange peel and an Einspänner cream top.
New seasonal drinks include the Cinnamon Cream Cold Brew with an Einspänner cream top and the Tahini Latte with tahini, saffron, cardamom, honey, brown sugar and cinnamon. All seasonal drinks are $7.
Craftsman Coffee, Pacifica
Formerly a mobile coffee truck, Craftsman Coffee planted its roots in Pacifica last year. From now to the end of January, the coffee shop is offering two seasonal beverages. Its Pumpkin Spice Latte features a housemade syrup made from pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon cloves, cardamom, ginger and allspice ($8.25). Its Mint Mocha is made with Ecuadorian raw cocoa, coconut sugar and mint syrup ($8.25).
Gregorys, Palo Alto
Visit Northeast chain Gregorys at Stanford Shopping Center to try three seasonal beverages until Nov. 3.
In addition to a Pumpkin Spice Latte available hot or iced ($6.15-$7.30), it’s also offering the Smashing Pumpkin Cold Brew with oat milk and pumpkin spice sauce ($5.55-$6.55).
For those looking for a pumpkin respite, Gregorys offers a Full Moon Latte and a Full Moon Matcha Latte, made with salted egg yolk syrup and sesame vegan cold foam ($8.34-$8.70).
Little Green A Plant Bar, Redwood City
This coffee and plant shop is embracing fall with flavors of caramel and cranberry. Seasonal coffee-based drinks include a Caramel Latte ($6.15) and Bicerin (a small cortado-sized drink with espresso and steamed milk plus a spoonful of Nutella, $5.10).
Non-coffee drinks feature syrup and jam from Pacifica-based Small Batch Jam Co, which opened a small retail space inside Little Green last month. Little Green currently offers a Spiced Apricot and Vanilla Jam Shrub ($6.15), a vinegary drink owner Riley Talain said is “good for kombucha lovers,” and the shop will soon offer a Cranberry Iced Tea ($6.15).
All seasonal drinks will be available into January or while supplies last, according to Talain.
Mints & Honey, San Carlos and Burlingame
The all-day brunch cafe is offering four autumnal lattes, all available in iced or hot versions: Pumpkin Spice, Cookie Butter, Cinnamon Bun and Maple Pecan ($6.50). Iced versions are topped with vanilla sweet cream, except Pumpkin Spice which is topped with pumpkin sweet cream.
Two other seasonal beverages are also topped with pumpkin sweet cream: Pumpkin Cloud Cold Brew ($6.75) and iced Pumpkin Cloud Chai ($6.95).
Plucky’s Cafe, Burlingame
This mother-daughter-owned board game cafe is offering two coffee-based seasonal beverages: a Pumpkin Spice Latte ($7.50) and a Butterscotch Kraken, a latte made with housemade butterscotch and condensed milk ($7.50). Both lattes are available hot or iced.
For those looking for a caffeine-free drink, it also introduced its Frosthaven Mango Float, an iced drink made with raspberry tea and mango sorbet and topped with house cream ($10).
Red Rock Coffee, Mountain View
Known for its open mic nights and craft coffee, Red Rock is offering its Pumpkin Spice Latte, available both hot and iced ($7.25-$8.25), through Thanksgiving, according to general manager Jean Boulanger.
Red Rock partners with Sightglass Coffee, and on Tuesdays it serves a rotating single-origin espresso.
The Farm, Palo Alto
The newest coffee shop in the California Avenue neighborhood, The Farm, is offering a Salted Maple Latte dusted with pumpkin spice until Nov. 1, according to owner Jan Unlu.
The Yard Coffee, Redwood City
Located in a historic house, The Yard Coffee will offer its Apple Cider Royale, made with apple juice, cinnamon syrup, whipped cream and caramel drizzle, during the month of November.
The Yard is temporarily closed for renovations through the end of the month, but will be open in November with “some exciting updates to our space and offerings,” according to owner John Feig.
“The weather here makes for very warm and even hot weeks through October, so my favorite part of Autumn is when it actually starts to get cold and overcast. In my opinion, it makes coffee more enjoyable,” general manager Eppi Carrion wrote in an email. “People also start putting up decorations and lights around town for the season and it feels special.”
Verve Coffee Roasters, Palo Alto
This Santa Cruz-based roasting company has two ways to enjoy pumpkin this fall. The Pumpkin Pie Latte, available hot or iced, is made with real pumpkin puree, warming spices and organic sugar and is topped with a graham cracker crumble ($7.50). Its Pumpkin Pie Cold Foam can be added to any drink, such as an iced latte or iced matcha latte ($7.50).
ZombieRunner Coffee, Palo Alto
This Palo Alto-founded coffee shop has two locations in the city. For the month of October, the shop is offering a Maple Pecan Zombie made with oat milk, cold brew concentrate and maple and pecan flavoring ($6.75).
Zörek, San Bruno
The brothers behind Mazra are offering two seasonal lattes at their Levantine-inspired cafe Zörek. Available through the end of November, Zorek is serving both its Pumpkin Spice Latte, which is made with real pumpkin, and its Cardamom Spice Latte ($7.56).
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