If it wasn’t clear already, I really really don’t like pumpkin-spice lattes. I don’t get it. I like my coffee black with no sugar or cream, so crazy flavors and additions just don’t do it for me. But as a college girl living in the North East, it’s pretty clear that I’m just about alone on this. So for all you PSL-lovers out there in the Saratoga region who are looking for a little variation from your normal Starbucks order, this one is for you.
1. kru Coffee
kru Coffee is a super cool new coffee spot in Saratoga Springs. Although it is a few miles outside of the main street in town (Broadway), it’s totally worth the distance. The store sells either fair trade or direct trade coffee, classic pastries, and a variety of toasts with innovative toppings such as avocado and smoked salmon or ricotta and honey roasted apples. But let’s get down to it: the pumpkin-spiced latte. I must admit, even I liked this latte. It wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet and it actually tasted like a piece of pumpkin pie instead of fake pumpkin flavored sweetener (cough cough, Starbucks). And come on, look at that gorgeous latte. It was too pretty to hate.
2. Utica Coffee Roasting Company
Confession time: clearly this was not a latte. Utica Coffee Roasting Company, which is actually housed inside Plum Dandy (a local frozen yogurt business) did not offer pumpkin-spice lattes. They did however offer a special blend called pumpkin crème brûlée. So, me being me, I ordered this intriguing blend in it’s purest form. While this cup o’ pumpkin flavored joe did get points for being in non-latte form, it probably wouldn’t appeal to true PSL fans. But if you’re more like me and a little skeptical of the whole latte craze, you might want to try this out. It really wasn’t too bad.
3. SPoT Coffee
SPoT Coffee, like kru Coffee, is a bit tucked away from the main town area. But if you can find it, it’s definitely worth it. Besides coffee, their menu offers some killer breakfast and lunch options. That pumpkin spice latte, though. If you’re a truly committed Starbucks PSL lover, this latte is probably what you’re looking for. As a truly committed Starbucks PSL hater… yeah, I wasn’t a fan. It was cloyingly sweet and tasted like pumpkin flavored syrup right out of the pump. Yum. To each their own I guess.