Pumpkin spice is everything nice
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Nothing says fall like a pumpkin spice latte, and the baristas at Chicco Baccello in downtown Washington, serve them up sweetly in pretty white mugs. Nancy Ogburn, co-owner, said the shop has served PSLs since it opened seven years ago.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
In addition to its popular PSL and pumpkin spice cold brew, Chicco Baccello in Washington serves a variety of pumpkin goodies. Co-owner Nancy Ogburn said the pumpkin gob, front left, is one of the shop’s best-selling baked goods.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Crystal McAdams puts the finishing touch – syrup – on Main Street Cafe’s pumpkin pancakes. McAdams said the pumpkin pancakes are a local favorite, and the Claysville shop’s fall desserts fly off the menu every October.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Debbi Kovalscik, who owns Coffee Ex-presso at Tanger Outlets in South Strabane, pulls espresso for a pumpkin pie chai latte. The fall spin on the classic dirty chai latte joined the shop’s fall menu – which includes a pumpkin cocoa and, yes, PSL – this September.
Katherine Mansfield/ Observer-Reporter
Little City Coffee in Monongahela will release its fall menu – including the popular pumpkin spice latte – near the end of September. The coffee shop also offers seasonal baked goods and an earthy-sweet mushroom mocha all fall long.
It may be sunny and 75, but when Starbucks announces the return of its seasonal menu, fall has – in the minds of many – officially begun.
The outrageously popular pumpkin spice latte was first introduced in 2003, after Starbucks employee Peter Dukes invented the pumpkin pie-inspired concoction. According to an article in the Seattle Met, Starbucks that year unveiled the drink in about 100 stores throughout Vancouver and Washington, D.C.
It met with instant success.
The following year, the PSL appeared on menus nationwide and other chains, like Dunkin Donuts, along with ma and pa shops scrambled to hop on the pumpkin spice latte train.
Each year, pumpkin spice appears on coffee shop menus earlier than the year before: This year, Dunkin started slinging its signature latte on Aug. 18, the earliest release date ever, and Starbucks’ darling PSL hit the menu the following week.
If you’re looking for a unique spin on the PSL, you can sip fall all autumn long at local coffee shops throughout Washington and Greene counties. This isn’t an exhaustive list of local offerings, but these five shops sell some pumpkin-tacular menu items that pair well with flannel and jeans.
Chicco Baccello, Washington
In addition to traditional fall drinks – including the aforementioned pumpkin spice latte and the new pumpkin spice cold brew – Chicco serves platefuls of fall treats like pumpkin spice scones, pumpkin poppers and pumpkin biscotti.
“We’ve been doing pumpkin stuff in the fall since we opened,” said Nancy Ogburn, who co-owns the coffee shop with Lisa Aprea, downtown. This year, the shop’s fall menu debuted Aug. 24, the same day Starbucks started slinging PSLs.
Ogburn said the pumpkin gobs are one of Chicco’s best-selling baked goods – and they pair well with both pumpkin flavored drinks and freshly roasted coffee.
Coffee Ex-presso, South Strabane
For five falls, Coffee Ex-presso at Tanger Outlets has served shoppers its best-selling fall menu item: Yep, the pumpkin spice latte.
“Pumpkin spice is always the classic,” said store owner Debbi Kovalscik, who said she also serves cup after cup of toasty pumpkin cocoa each fall.
This year, Coffee Ex-presso is offering something new: A pumpkin pie chai latte.
The drink is a traditional dirty chai latte with a pumpkin pie twist and pairs well with the shop’s variety of fall treats.
Little City Coffee, Monongahela
It’s still summer at Little City Coffee, where baristas sling specialty drinks like the orange cream latte – a perfect transition from summer into fall, considering Starbucks toyed with debuting an orange spice latte before settling on the PSL.
Little City’s menu changes for the season near the first official day of fall. Along with pumpkin spice, Little City will offer a sweet maple latte and an earthy mushroom mocha.
“That’s always a fun one,” said Angelica Scales, who has worked at the coffee shop-bookstore downtown for nearly two years. “It’s made with mushroom powder. It has a cocoa-y taste.”
Scales said the mushroom mocha latte is pretty popular. All of the shop’s seasonal specialties can be enjoyed with the company of a good book, of which Little City has plenty.
Main Street Cafe, Claysville
A one-coffee-pot cafe, Main Street doesn’t offer specialty fall drinks, but its freshly brewed java pairs perfectly with any of the cafe’s seasonal baked goods.
“Our desserts fly off the shelves,” said Crystal McAdams, who has worked at the cafe for almost a year. “They’re all homemade. The pumpkin crunch cake is really good.”
The cafe is already serving cinnamon roll-inspired cake off its fall menu. Other seasonal offerings, including Main Street’s best-selling pumpkin pancakes, will hit the menu come October.
“I look forward to them every fall,” said regular Sandy Ward. “They’re the best.”
5 Kidz Kandy, Waynesburg
It’s pumpkin spice season year-round at 5Kidz Kandy, where shop owner Kristy Vliet offers both a pumpkin spice and pumpkin latte all year long.
“People set their own timeframe for seasons,” said Vliet, who jokes that although the fall favorites are always on the menu, she knows it’s officially pumpkin spice season when a customer places the first PSL order of the year.
Among the shop’s other seasonal offerings are pumpkin cheesecake muffins and pumpkin ice cream.