Move over, pumpkin spice: Caramel apple lattes are fall's newest vibe
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A take on the caramel apple latte from South Minneapolis' Crema Coffee + Cream. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Kyle here. We may be in the heart of pumpkin spice season, but many Twin Cities cafés are making space on their fall menus for a new flavor: caramel apple.
The big picture: Caramel, apple and cinnamon are the three most-ordered fall flavors on DoorDash nationwide, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum reports.
- And searches for "caramel apple iced coffee" are at an all-time high, according to Google Trends.
I was skeptical, imagining the sickly flavor of those green candy lollipops overwhelming the drink.
Yes, but: I did my research — and Crema Coffee + Cream and Momo Café's caramel apple lattes turned me around.
- They're a fall hayride in a mug. The smooth, richness of the espresso nicely balances the sharp crispness and tanginess of apple flavor.
🍵 Plus: Apple is in more than just the traditional latte.
- I'm not a big matcha guy, but Backstory Coffee Roasters' caramel apple matcha surprised me: The dash of sweet and tart nicely complemented the bitter, herbal tea mixture.
- And Lost Fox is offering an apple crisp Americano. (More flavored Americanos, please!)
Reality check: The PSL is still the king of fall. Yelp searches for "pumpkin spice latte" are up 301% from a year ago.