‘Tis The Season: Local coffee shops offer fall specials

Returning to a routine after fall break can be draining. Midterms and final exams slowly creep up, while the sunshine and warm weather disappears. Some students thrive and anticipate fall all year long, but for others it can cause the days to drag on. That is why it is important to enjoy fall’s little things, like the fun limited drinks our local coffee shops supply. I thought that the best way to jump into the season was to try some new fall-related drinks I had never had before and review them. 

Dunkin’ is only a five-minute walk from campus, and their famous Nutty Pumpkin drink is back. This drink is their original iced or hot coffee mixed with pumpkin, hazelnut and cream. It could have had more pumpkin; I wanted the pumpkin flavor to slap me in the face. I recommend adding whipped cream or caramel to sweeten the drink, which I think is the proper way to enjoy an iced coffee. Catching a breath of fresh air and walking with my Nutty Pumpkin drink in hand back to campus boosted my fall spirits.

Other beverages that Dunkin’ has to offer this season are their signature iced or hot pumpkin latte, and the option to add pumpkin swirl to any drink. They also provide food that represents fall, with maple sugar bacon and pumpkin glazed donuts. I think adding a Halloween-themed donut with any of their fall drinks would make for the perfect October activity. Dunkin’ does not disappoint when it comes to making treats for Halloween. They have donuts decorated as pumpkins and spiders. 

Vienna Coffeehouse is a 10-minute walk from campus, which allowed me to stroll over the bridge and catch a beautiful view of our city. They have a special right now that lets customers add pumpkin to any drink of their choice. Vienna also offers a student discount if you bring your student ID. 

I ordered an iced macchiato with pumpkin. My mistake was ordering it with double espresso, though my to-do list would say otherwise. It did in fact, slap me in the face, but not with pumpkin. The pumpkin-flavored foam on top, surprisingly, did not make it to my taste buds until the end. The double shot of espresso was very overbearing for the small glass, but it did fulfill my sweet tooth for fall and help boost my energy for the day. 

For students willing to drive, Starbucks might be more expensive, but their fall menu is worth the hype. They have pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cream cold brew, iced pumpkin cream chai lattes and iced apple crisp oat milk shaken espresso. They are also selling Halloween-themed branded cups. 

This time, I made sure to just get one shot of espresso, with whipped cream and caramel added to their iced pumpkin spice latte. The third time’s a charm; there was just enough sweetness mixed with the pumpkin, and a dazzle of caramel never hurts. However, for students on a budget or without a car, I definitely recommend strolling to Dunkin’ or Vienna for a fun fall drink on a cold rainy day.