Thanksgiving is a week away, which is the last stand for fall festivities and the autumnal spirit displayed in our decorations, activities, and of course our coffee. While artificial Christmas trees are on display in box stores prior to Halloween, my goal is to hold on to that “pumpkin spice is so nice” mantra until the day after Thanksgiving. Once the turkey coma has passed, its full-fledged Christmas tree hunting, mistletoe blasting, Chevy Chase’s Clark Griswold light hanging, and peppermint mocha drinking action until the big guy in the red suit visits and all the good little girls and boys wake up to the beautifully wrapped presents nestled perfectly under the evergreen branches on Christmas morning. (Wow, writing that last sentence makes me ready for Christmas). When I look around though, I can tell I’m alone on this front, and when I say “last stand” above I really should be using a line such as “resistance is futile”. Starbucks red cups are out in full force, and who isn’t ready for the Christmas coffee blends after almost three months of pumpkin spice everything. Does anyone even want pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving anymore, or did we need to have a slice of this back during those first 80 degree days of September? I ask that you take one last moment to reflect back on the favorite flavors of fall enjoyed most readily through our favorite caffeinated beverage as you read this while siting next to your already decorated artificial tree and pondering the perfect design of the gingerbread house you’ll be constructing this weekend.
A few years back we enjoyed taking a desk area that was located between our laundry room and kitchen that could be utilized as a home office substitute, and renovated to be our coffee bar area. Even with COVID-19 and working from home for stints during this past year, I don’t think we regret having this space in our house dedicated to coffee. A coffee pot tucked in the corner of the kitchen just wasn’t enough for us. With this coffee bar area has also come the fun of keeping it stocked with various coffee blends. Part of decorating for fall and celebrating the Autumnal season is picking out a variety of pumpkin spice and fall flavored coffees. While Ashley drinks coffee with creamer, I drink it black, and I love having flavored coffees on hand that complement the season other then just switching between brands, bean origin, and roasts.
Here’s the tip for anyone making it this far into the post, and who doesn’t want to break the bank, make a trip to your local T.J. Maxx or HomeGoods style store in your area. Most likely you’ll find the section that includes coffee and coffee accessories and you’ll discover that there is quite the line up of flavored coffees matching and changing with the rest of the seasonal decoration throughout the store. Our favorites this year included apple cider donuts, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin spice. Don’t get me wrong, while we stock up at our budget-friendly stores (we wont digress to discussions on David Ramsey solutions), if we come across other delicious brands we enjoy we will pick up a bag here or there.
As we have taken this step back memory lane over the last couple months of pumpkin spice coffee consumption I leave you with these questions to ponder (and share feedback with us): How early did you start to seek our pumpkin spice coffee; August, September? Whats your favorite or go-to fall inspired coffee beverage of choice or brand? If your a pumpkin spice hater, do you give in to winter inspired coffee flavors like peppermint mocha?
Cheers to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any holiday that inspires us to enjoy life to its fullest through spending time with friends and family and creating wonderful traditions that lead to lasting memories.
p.s. this was written while sipping on a full 30oz RTIC tumbler of pumpkin spice coffee. Did I need 30oz? No. Did I enjoy 30oz? Yes! . . . now off to grab a peppermint mocha coffee from Starbucks!