5 fall drinks from San Diego coffee shops that are better than Starbucks

To make a fall coffee drink in San Diego, where heat and sunshine are present annually well into November, is already a peculiar endeavor.

However, pumpkin diehards, no matter where they live, demand fall flavors.

Each year, coffee juggernaut Starbucks typically leads the way. This year’s pumpkin spice latte debuted Aug. 26, presenting a question: Can a better fall drink be found in San Diego?

It didn’t take long to find some.

One of the most delicious fall drinks, a salted maple latte, is even offered year-round. And in most cases, the key to a good fall drink is either a perfect ratio and mix of ingredients, or a homemade syrup.

Jay Freedman, coffee director at Compa Coffee Roasters, makes all of his own fall drink ingredients, including juicing pumpkins to make a special syrup during the fall.

“With all do respect, I think it’s a make or break,” said Freedman at the Rancho Bernardo coffee shop. “There’s a lot of fillers and gums and things that let these shelf syrups sit for long amounts of time or sit in different temperatures and anything like that and our syrup is so fresh, they don’t have enough time to sit and go bad. Fresh syrup is similar to fresh coffee. You can taste it in the cup 10 out of 10 times.”

Furthermore, to mix the exact right ratio of ingredients for a flavored coffee drink is no simple task. One local shop that claims to make its seasonal syrup with real apples, served a latte that tasted like it was just a giant glass of milk.

These local drinks, and others that will hit menus throughout September and October, are better than Starbucks’ famous pumpkin spice latte.

Salted maple latte, Compa Coffee Roasters

Fall flavor-die hards will be happy to learn that this drink, first created in 2017, is available all year. And it may be one of the best-flavored lattes in San Diego County. Freedman shared that the drink, served hot or cold, is among Compa Coffee’s best-selling drinks. The secret is melting down pink Himalayan seat salt to combine it with maple syrup. Customers of Compa Coffee can also expect homemade pumpkin syrup and pumpkin butter this season. Freedman said at their coffee shop the baristas are like bartenders and can make sure they find a mix of flavors to enjoy. Compa Coffee roasts its own coffee.

11828 Rancho Bernardo Road #101, San Diego. 858-524-6213, compacoffeeroasters.com

Iced pumpkin horchata latte, Mujer Divina Burrito and Coffee House

Pumpkin and horchata are a match made in coffee heaven. The iced pumpkin horchata latte from Mujer Divina Burrito and Coffee House is what Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte dreams to be. “I’m obsessed,” said chef and owner Priscilla Curiel, who also recently opened Divina Matcha next door to the original coffee shop on Third Avenue in Chula Vista. The horchata in this drink is made from scratch, as is the pumpkin syrup, and the coffee comes from Heave Ho Coffee Co. Curiel also recommends the caffe de olla, which is bursting with cinnamon, for fans of seasonal flavors. The pumpkin horchata latte is available through October.

218 Third Ave., Chula Vista. 858-275-0913, instagram.com/mujerdivinacoffee

Gourdy Patch from Cafe Moto

Cafe Moto baristas worked together to perfect the recipe and choose the name for this year’s fall drink: Gourdy Patch. Available through the month of October, it can be made hot or cold and combines pumpkin puree and brown butter syrup from the French company Le Fruit de MONIN. The drink manages to keep its buttery flavor at the forefront, while maintaining a smooth finish. At Cafe Moto in Barrio Logan, customers will find rotating options for coffee, roasted in house, to pair with the Gourdy Patch recipe. They’ll also find options for seasonal pastries. And for those who like the speed and ease of the big national chain, Cafe Moto has a drive-through option for ordering.

2619 National Ave., San Diego. 619-239-6686, cafemoto.com

Christopher Robin from The King’s Craft Coffee Co.

Adda Rojas, owner and operator of The King’s Craft Coffee Co. in Mission Valley, tinkered with the recipe for this year’s pumpkin pecan cold brew right up until its debut in early September. At this small and whimsical coffee shop, customers can vote on themes for monthly drink special menus. September’s drink theme is “Winnie-the-Pooh.” Thus, the pumpkin pecan cold brew, which is silky smooth with a lovely pinch of salt, goes by the name Christopher Robin. Coffee lovers may know the name of this shop because of its original location in Poway, owned by former San Diego Chargers player Cory Withrow. His company TKC Coffee Roasters provides the beans for this location, which is licensed and owned by Rojas and Andre Johnson. The salted pumpkin cold brew, available through September, is made by combining the company’s signature cold brew with pumpkin sauce, butter pecan syrup and sea salt.

The King’s Craft Coffee Co., 1455 Frazee Road, San Diego. 619-228-9275, thekingscraft.com

Pumpkin mazapán latte from Chikita Cafe

Chikita Cafe is like a Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory for coffee — and trinkets. The Barrio Logan shop greets customers with a poster of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez and lots of pink. Inside, it sells everything from makeup to action figures and jewelry. Also, in pink writing on a huge chalkboard, the shop offers 10 options for pumpkin lattes: pumpkin mazapán, pumpkin horchata, pumpkin chai, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cajeta, pumpkin matcha, pumpkin oat, pumpkin cafe de olla, cookie butter pumpkin and cinnamon toast pumpkin. The pumpkin mazapán option works nicely as a drink for dessert without being too sweet. The flavor of the pumpkin was minimal, and the vanilla foam on top was also light on flavor, but this drink — and this coffee shop — makes the list for originality and sheer number of options. Owner Celina Hernandez says the coffee comes from Caffe Calabria in North Park and that she makes all her own syrups and powders, always making sure to add a twist of Mexican culture.

1875 Newton Ave., San Diego. 619-518-2998, chikitacafe.com