– by Steve Sheppard –
Victoria B.C. – The leaves crunch pleasurably beneath my Birkenstocks (no socks on of course) and there’s a certain comfort I feel sipping my hot, chocolaty tasting Americano with my favourite sweater on as fall approaches like a freight-train leaving summertown. Nothing beats autumn on Vancouver Island, it’s like the sun has worked overtime through the summer and it needs a little more sleep.
I don’t care what others say … fall ‘has’ a distinct smell that’s unique and I believe coffee pairs beautifully with that crisp, cold overtone with every breath. Unfortunately, this is the time of the year where I go into my favourite coffee spot(s) and have to wait much longer for my coffee, because a number of trendy coffee-cats have discovered the seasonal ‘Pumpkin Spice Latte’ … blech!
I consider myself an Autumnal Ambassador. In fact, call me Mr. Autumn Sheppard instead of Steve from this point on until next spring. I love mid-October for all the reasons to do with coffee drinking. One of my favourite foods is pumpkin pie and I traditionally eat an entire large one on Thanksgiving day, and wash it down with some dark turkey meat and stuffing. However, I am ‘NOT’ a fan of the PSL which is the new hipster acronym for the, you know what I’m talking about drink.
I cannot for the life of me figure out how people make the connection of pumpkins with coffee, in its traditional sense that is, and the chemical version of the latte that coffee houses serve? This year has been particularly bad as cafes started to promote the PSL in early September; it’s like Christmas decorations going up in October … DON’T even get me started!
OK, let’s get positive here … there are other Fall-ish drinks out there and I’ve had a couple of interesting ones over the past weeks. The dark chocolate raspberry mocha with cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on top and the mulled hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick. The mocha was made with real raspberry puree and the dark chocolate not overly sweet, very tasty overall. The mulled cider was made with locally grown apples, and perfectly spiced with a stick of cinnamon, which I enjoyed playing with long after I was done my drink.
I really look forward to the essence of the Northern Hemisphere’s tilt away from the sun and the cold weather it brings. Time to curl-up with some good books and a plethora of Americanos over the coming weeks while I get prepared for Jack Frost … Steve out.
