Like so many of us, I am a fall person through and through. The leaves, the books, the sweaters, the colors, the coffee: What can I say? Fall has it all.
One of my first childhood literary friends, Anne Shirley, proclaimed, "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers." Ditto, Anne. Another childhood literary friend of mine, Winnie the Pooh, said: "It's the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings and toasty marshmallow evenings and, best of all, leaping into leaves!" Yes, autumn is here, and I am here for it.
Thankfully, many area coffee shops, grocers and bakeries are celebrating the flavors of autumn this season with seasonally themed drinks and specials.
Incredibly Delicious
Incredibly Delicious, 925 S. Seventh St., will feature both fall drinks and desserts. Stop in for an Autumn in Paris Hot Tea, with notes of black current, bergamot and caramel; a Marrakech Chai Iced Green Tea, with notes of cinnamon, cardamom and ginger; or Incredibly Delicious' version of a pumpkin spice latte, made with pumpkin cream. Don't forget to pair your drink order with a slice of caramel apple cake or a caramel apple macaron.
Hae's Bakery & Coffee Shoppe
Hae's has locations on Jefferson Street and Wabash Avenue, and both stores are featuring a variety of autumn beverages. Coffee lovers can enjoy maple doughnut, pumpkin cookie, toasted macaron, honey nut cheerio or crazy jack-flavored lattes. Tea lovers can choose among several lotus tea flavors (the Halloweentown lotus tea features candy corn), or an apple-spiced Orchard Chai Tea. Hae's also sells fall-flavored sodas and protein shakes – there is truly something for everyone.
Wellthy Juice Bar
If you are less of a coffee person and more of a juice person, look no further than Wellthy Juice Bar in The Gables. Wellthy has health-focused cold-pressed juices for fall including a sweet potato pie juice (which features sweet potatoes, carrot, apple, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove), and a pumpkin spice juice (made from pumpkin, apple, pear, carrot, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and turmeric). Wellthy also offers an apple cider slushie and a gluten-free pumpkin smoothie. Wellthy's options are sure to fulfill your fall flavors craving with superfoods.
Apple Barn
Another juicy choice is Chatham's Apple Barn, 2290 E. Walnut St. You know those autumn days where the morning starts out chilly so you throw on a fleece shirt, only to find yourself sweating through it under an 80-degree sun in the afternoon? The Apple Barn's apple cider slushie is perfect for those days. And although the apple cider slushie is a year-round offering, in autumn you can sip your slushie while shopping for mums, pumpkins, apples, fall decor and a plethora of delicious bakery and grocery items that will turn your kitchen into a tasty, fall-themed haven.
Three Twigs & Co.
If you worked up an appetite from all that shopping, stop by Three Twigs & Co., 2661 Chatham Road, and try a stack of caramel pecan flapjack, pumpkin pie pop-tarts or pumpkin doughnuts. Wash it down with a spiced pumpkin latte or cold brew, featuring Three Twigs' own simple syrup, made with real pumpkins. Then you can take home a pumpkin cookie butter cream pie, or if you're a fan of the classics, a traditional pumpkin pie, to enjoy later.
Other area shops and bakeries that are celebrating fall include Grab-A-Java, Mel-O-Cream and Custom Cup Coffee. Grab-A-Java's version of the pumpkin spice latte is a cult fave for those in the know. Mel-O-Cream is also offering their own pumpkin spice latte or cold brew along with apple-spiced doughnut holes, and Custom Cup Coffee will include vegan pumpkin spice cookies and cardamom cinnamon rolls among its many offerings this autumn.
As you frolic amongst the crunchy leaves and enjoy all of Springfield's fall festivities, be sure to sip (and eat) local.
Pamela Savage is a freelance writer living in Springfield. In the immortal words of Richard Gilmore, she is an autumn.
