The recent chilly weather (for SoCal) gets people thinking about the holidays and the associated flavors that pop up at favorite coffee spots. In Coronado, some coffee shops are embracing the holiday spirit by offering a variety of special seasonal drinks.
At Amalo Brew, the coffee cart outside the Coronado Public Library, a variety of seasonal coffee drinks are offered, including Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Caramel Latte, Peppermint Latte, Toffee Nut Vanilla, Lavender Vanilla, as well as any mix and match of a customer’s choosing. According to owner Alex Malo, the current most popular drinks are the Pumpkin Spice and Lavender Vanilla, but peppermint chocolate drinks become increasingly popular as Christmas season approaches. Usually in the fall to winter transition, Amalo Brew adds more mochas to the menu. Malo additionally mentioned that a popular choice for his coffee loving customers in the winter is to mix chocolate into their coffee drink. Amalo Brew is open daily from 10:30am to 3:30pm and offers outside seating for customers to sit and savor their seasonal coffee flavors.
Located at the Ferry Landing, Coronado Coffee Company has created six November specials: Pumpkin Spice Latte, Gingerbread Latte, Brown Sugar Vanilla Cold Brew, Pumpkin Chai Latte, Caramel Pecan Latte, and a special: Apple Chai Cider. Owner Luis Madrid shared, “My favorite is the Brown Sugar Vanilla Cold Brew because it tastes like Christmas.” This special drink has a strong cinnamon flavor with a complement of vanilla. The baristas order special flavors and get together and play around with mixing them to create unique and custom drinks for their customers to enjoy. Customer Caroline Welsh shared, “There were so many delicious flavors that it was hard to choose which one I should get!” So far this year, the Caramel Pecan Latte has been very popular. The Coronado Coffee Company is part of Blue Bridge Hospitality and is open every day 7am until 8pm with plenty of outside seating for customers to socially distance while enjoying their coffee.
The relatively new Bay Books Coffee Shop at 1007 Orange Avenue is embracing the holiday spirit with four fall specials: Pumpkin Spice, Caramel Apple Butter, Peppermint Mocha, and Toasted Marshmallow. One of the baristas shared that her favorite fall special drink is the Peppermint Mocha. She loves it because, “It is the perfect balance of coffee and sweetness, but the sweetness is not too overpowering.” The Bay Books Coffee Shop created these flavors based on recommended combinations of syrup flavors. The fall specials were introduced in October, and by mid-November the shop is planning to launch additional coffee specials to represent winter and its associated tastes. Bay Books Coffee opens every day at 8am and closes at 4pm mid-week and 6pm Friday through Sunday.
Coronado has numerous coffee options in town in addition to these three and many offer seasonal favorites in which you can indulge.
