Redheaded Jill

Y’all… I love pumpkins. I have always loved pumpkins. My hair is auburn, I love 60 degree weather, autumn is my color season… I. Love. Pumpkin.

So naturally, when the season rolls around, I try the pumpkin things at the coffee places and restaurants. But I have a confession… They’re not very good. I want to love PSLs because it’s a staple of the autumn tradition.

The last few years I get one and think, “Well… I did the thing. Check that off the fall bucket list.” It is SO unsatisfying. I think a big part is that I don’t enjoy coffee that tastes like coffee.

So this year, when my sister told me the pumpkin cold foam chai at Starbucks was a better option I listened, and she was right. It is SO good. And it doesn’t leave me with a nasty aftertaste like coffee does.

I tried a hot PSL the other day when I didn’t know what to order. (That’s code for they got my order wrong and I didn’t want to correct them and be the person who gets what they order at the risk of sounding rude…) So I tried it. It was horrendous. To be fair, this wasn’t a Starbucks or even a coffee shop I frequent often. But it was the worst pumpkin flavored thing I have tasted in many a year.

All that to say, iced Chai is my new “go to” drink. The best part is they can easily be made at home and there is no need for a coffee machine or percolator or espresso machine or anything like that. Just hot water, tea bags, ice, and any flavor you want.