Happy October! With the leaves changing color and the weather getting colder, we want to highlight fall drinks. Many cafes and coffee shops introduce special fall menus with different spices, seasonal flavors and cozy names. As we mentioned last week, chai and apple are super popular options, but pumpkin spice is also an unforgettable one.
While pumpkin and coffee may seem like an odd pairing, this duo was made popular by Starbucks’ famous Pumpkin Spice Latte. The Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, has become a fall staple, featured on Starbucks menus around the world. This drink has a cult following with merch, pop culture references and social media trends dedicated to it. As other chains and local coffee establishments have followed suit, seasonal drink menus or specials are expected. When you walk into many coffee shops, their seasonal fall menu will feature at least one pumpkin-flavored drink.
Tastecraft Coffee has two primary locations in Milton and Lewisburg. However, they started out as a specialty food store in 2016 based out of Mifflinburg. Tastecraft then started selling coffee and drinks, and later added other non-drink items, such as macarons and wonuts. They are open during the week from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The location in Lewisburg has an extensive list of options to choose from, with your classic coffee drinks, milkshakes and craft lattes. The flavor combinations for craft lattes are vast, from sea salt caramel to blueberry cream. Also on the menu is a coffee flight, where customers can sample various lattes without having to order many large ones. They also offer shakeaccinos, which are milkshakes blended with iced coffee. The shop offers many seasonal flavors, perfect for the fall season. Some popular orders seem to be the Apple Crisp and the Hazy Pumpkin, which we tried for ourselves!
We ordered two of the flavored pumpkin lattes from their seasonal menu. First, Grace got the Hazy Pumpkin, a hazelnut and pumpkin latte with caramel bourbon cold foam. While this drink sounded promising, it was underwhelming, with the coffee, pumpkin and hazelnut flavors not really being identifiable. Grace ordered The Harvest, a pumpkin and maple latte with maple cold foam. While the maple flavor in this drink was definitely present, it was a bit overpowering, hiding any flavors of coffee or pumpkin. While both of our drinks were fine, we felt as though the key flavors of coffee and pumpkin were missing, replaced with an ambiguous sweet taste.
Overall, we would rate Tastecraft a 3.0 out of 5.
Flavor: Overall, the coffees were sweet. The coffee taste was overpowered by the other flavors from the cold foam; the pumpkin taste was also weaker and failed to make a prominent impression. And while the cold foam and the secondary flavors were delicious, it was definitely a sweet treat that was different from what we expected.
Fame: Tastecraft took on its downtown Lewisburg location in the fall of 2023. Since then, it has been a staple for the Bucknell community. Just a short walk off campus, it is a nice option for students with or without a vehicle to be able to grab a coffee and a sweet treat.
Funds: Each drink came out to about $4-5 each. The sizes ranging small, medium, and large. Which was a fair price for the quantity we got. Compared to options you can find on campus, it isn’t too expensive. And for reference, the wonut was $1.50 and the macaron was around $2!
Fun: The vibe and decorations at Tastecraft are very fun, with an outer space/alien theme. There are lots of options to choose from, and everything is very customizable. There was also an outdoor seating option, in front of the shop facing Hufnagle Park, as well as on the side where the train tracks run. It is in a great location to grab a coffee and head over to the park!