By John Burkhart and Jennifer Burkhart
We look forward to the fall season every year: the cooler weather, the changing leaves, the cooler weather….and the fall harvest foods! If you can tear yourself away from your pumpkin spice latte, there ARE other flavors to enjoy. (Crazy, right?!) We did explore some other flavors of fall, sticking with products that are organic, non-GMO, fair trade, or made by eco-friendly companies. Don’t worry, we didn’t skip the pumpkin spice treats.
Califa Farms | Cold Brew Coffee, Pumpkin Spice Latte
HE SAID: This was an abomination. It was an overly sweet and overly spiced version of a drink I already don’t like. Yes, I’m talking about you, pumpkin spice latte. I have precisely one pumpkin spice latte a year, and that’s to remind myself why I don’t drink them. I couldn’t even taste the one thing I like in a PSL – coffee! They must be using that new “flavorless” cold brew coffee ’cause I didn’t taste it.
He gave it: ★
SHE SAID: Cold-brew coffee is a staple in our fridge – gotta have my afternoon fix! I am a fan of pretty much anything with pumpkin spice, so this was exciting. Well, I’d have to say, if you don’t like coffee, then this is the coffee for you! It was creamy, with a mild pumpkin flavor, and plenty of spice. But no coffee taste whatsoever. Sad face.
She gave it: ★★
HE SAID: You may not believe it, but I get tired of beer sometimes. A good cider is a great way to break up the monotony. This Finnriver cider had a nice tart pear and apple flavor. It was bubbly and refreshing to start, but had a yeasty, fermented aftertaste that was off-putting. Worth a try if you’re a cider fan, but I’ve had cleaner ciders.
He gave it: ★★★
SHE SAID: If you’re on the fence choosing a dry or sweet cider, this is the perfect middle ground. It was crisp, with subtle flavors of both pear and apple. It was quite tasty, and deserves bonus points for being crafted with organic apples and organic pear juice.
She gave it: ★★★★
Wild Ophelia | Chocolate Coffee Bites, Pumpkin Spice
HE SAID: I believe there’s a formula for this kind of treat. Coffee + chocolate = amazing. The chocolate outer shell was ultra smooth, super sweet, and balanced the bitter coffee and pumpkin spice center perfectly. I thought they were quite tasty and ate more than a few, but I found the pumpkin spice unnecessary. I’d rather eat the chocolate covered espresso beans if I’m being completely honest.
He gave it: ★★★
SHE SAID: As PSL sales might reveal, pumpkin spice and coffee are a match made in caffeine-infused heaven. Sadly though, the match didn’t go over well in the liquidy center of this candy. It was more like a duel of flavors, and neither won. The milk chocolate was delicious though.
She gave it: ★★★
HE SAID: I headed to the freezer, grabbed a big spoonful of maple pecan and scarfed it, blissfully unaware that I was eating dairy-free vegan ice cream. You should have seen the major double take I did when I went back and saw it was made with coconut milk. It was as smooth as dairy ice cream with a lovely maple pecan flavor.
He gave it: ★★★★★
SHE SAID: Quite possibly the best vegan ice cream I’ve ever had. Oh man, I wanted the whole pint to myself (next time!). The shockingly creamy texture, soft pecans and delicious maple sweetness will have you breaking up with “moo” ice cream in no time.
She gave it: ★★★★★
Brew Dr | Kombucha, Harvest
HE SAID: Huh. This one was confusing. It said “Harvest,” so I was expecting apples, pears, and maybe pumpkin flavors. When my first sip yielded a strong apricot and tarragon taste, I was baffled. Isn’t apricot a summer fruit? Maybe this is what you do with the summer apricots that didn’t sell? I have so many questions now! Anyway, it was still a delicious tart apricot kombucha with lots of carbonation.
He gave it: ★★★★
SHE SAID: I’m no kombucha connoisseur, but this one seemed plain-Jane. I didn’t taste any apricot or tarragon. Oddly, all I tasted was apple. I must have Fall fruit on the brain. It did have the typical bubbly, vinegary bite, but thankfully not too intense.
She gave it: ★★★
