Best autumnal coffees, tea for escaping the mess going down on FB
PLUS: Opera Saratoga news, events updates and (shhh…) new coffeehouse goss I wasn’t supposed to tell.
Not your mother’s pumpkin spice latte
There’s nothing like an intoxicating, autumnal drink to savor and forget the mess that was the last 24 hours or so of Facebook cringe. (But do vote — early voting starts today.) Get off social media and hoof it straight to one of our town’s coffee emporiums. Tea and coffee guru Melanie Snyder tasted all of the witchy, Harry Potter and apple everything to choose her favorite concoctions for sipping the drama away.
Saratoga Tea & Honey’s caffeine-free Nana’s Pumpkin PieCider — an iced drink that tastes like a healthy, organic alternative to grocery store cider — is made with Nana’s pumpkin pie herbal blend, a little bit of apple cider, and buckwheat honey. Chai latte and apple cider meet in the store’s chaider, a blend of apple cider, honey and the brand’s homemade pumpkin spice chai blend, made with all-organic black tea, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and clover.
Broadway Coffee Co. arguably has the largest fall-themed menu, including lattes, matcha and chai beverages made with fall flavors. They also have seasonal coffee flavors including standouts Witches Brew pumpkin cold brew and The Grimm maple hot coffee
The Stars Hallow Latte (named after the fiction town in the TV Show Gilmore Girls) is on the leaderboard for one the most popular drinks at the store, made with ginger, maple, cinnamon flavors, and about two ounces of Oregon trail chai concentrate — a more concentrated form of chai.
Walt Café’s seasonal specialty iced coffee is an Autumn Blend with notes of cinnamon, vanilla and pecan. Plus, the café inside Walt Whitman has a witchy list of October drinks to really get into the Halloween spirit. The limited-time specials include Enid’s Rainbow Latte, a fruity pebble cereal milk latte; Witches Brew Chai, a caramel apple chai latte; and Where Have You Been Mocha; an upside-down latte with white mocha and cherry flavor (all of which can be made hot or iced). Whitman is also doing a Butter Beer Shaken Espresso (Harry Potter inspired), made with butterscotch shaken espresso, milk and cinnamon.
The off-Broadway SPoT Coffee also has a signature take on chaider, a hot or iced blend of chai tea and apple cider. The hotspot’s White Chocolate Pumpkin Mocha is a twist on the traditional pumpkin spice latte, made with espresso, pumpkin syrup, milk and white chocolate. Spot’s signature Spiced Pear Latte is an icy cold blend of the classic fall caramel apple flavor combined with pear and ginger flavor, espresso, brown butter cold foam and dried pear.
Shhhh…
Speaking of coffee…a hip new coffeehouse by one of downtown’s most popular bartenders is in the works. I promised not to give the location or name just yet, but let’s just say that he makes a mean cocktail so I have no doubt that the morning concoctions will be just as expertly whipped together. And if he keeps his day job, which is actually a night job, he could be his own best customer.
And speaking of buzz: (partial) Opera Saratoga news
This column falls smack in the middle of Opera Saratoga’s roll-out announcement of its 2026 summer festival shows. So far? The musical Happy End — a huge New York State touring collab with Glimmerglass that we reported in July — now has its Saratoga dates (May 28 and 30). And…drumroll please…the Capital Region’s only professional opera company has added the romantic Elixir of Love (oh la la). There’s one more huge announcement coming this week — stay tuned!
Quickie events update
DBA’s popular Fall Fest is TODAY — so get Downtown stat!
Comedian headliner Jessica Kirston hits UPH Sunday, so it’s commitment time
What was supposed to be UPH’s first at-home fundraiser in the theater has been cancelled.
Pink Martini’s sold-out show that was cancelled by the band last minute has been rescheduled for May 21.
Bocage Champagne Bar’s Pét Nat Palooza hits Farm Fresh Foods for an outdoor fall fest that includes old-fashioned games, a DJ, food trucks, and of course unlimited fizzy pét nat. Keg stands, anyone?
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So many choices, I'd probably find myself ordering a plain coffee or basic tea