This fall, I made a fall bucket list — equal parts motivation and excuse. The list had six items on it, and the very first one was the most delicious assignment I’ve ever given myself:
Try 5+ seasonal coffees at different shops.
Consider it handled. Thoroughly. Here’s where I went, what I ordered, and which ones I’d drive back for.
1. The Cafe Luna — New Providence, NJ
Iced latte in a spooky ghost cup
This one comes with a story: the Cafe Luna was my stop after my final 20-mile training run before the Philadelphia Marathon, so that iced latte was earned about as much as a coffee can be. The ghost cup made it festive; the fact that I’d just run 20 miles made it taste even better. Seasonal and a core memory — a strong start to the list.
2. Black Drop Coffee — Scotch Plains, NJ
The Maple Hudson — black velvet cold brew topped with a sea salted vanilla bean cream with maple
The most “serious coffee” stop on the list. Cold brew with a salted vanilla bean cream and maple is exactly the right kind of extra: rich without being a sugar bomb, and the maple keeps it firmly in fall territory. If you like your seasonal drinks on the coffee-forward side, this is your one.
3. Catfight Coffee — Boonton, NJ
Beetlejuice ube matcha latte and a caramel apple latte
Catfight is a horror-themed coffee shop, so fall is basically its Super Bowl. The Beetlejuice ube matcha is the order for anyone who wants something different — ube gives it that sweet, almost vanilla flavor, and it looks as fun as it tastes. The caramel apple latte is the safer-but-still-seasonal pick. We shared, we ranked, we will definitely go back to see their other seasonal takes throughout the year!
4. Almost Home General — Westfield, NJ
Count Chocula Cereal Latte
Yes, really. A cereal latte sounds like a gimmick until you’re drinking it and getting hit with pure childhood nostalgia. Sweet, silly, and exactly what a fall bucket list is for. If you’re the friend who still buys the monster cereals “for the kids,” this one’s yours.
5. Mama Hawk’s — Lahaska, PA
Lorelai’s Latte — pumpkin spice caramelized banana latte with oat milk, pumpkin spice marshmallow drizzle & pumpkin spice cold foam
The one stop just across the river in Pennsylvania, and it earns its place. Read that description again — caramelized banana, marshmallow drizzle, cold foam. It’s a lot, and it works. The name is a Gilmore Girls nod (Lorelai Gilmore would absolutely order this, probably twice), which made it a non-negotiable stop for me.
The verdict
Five shops, five completely different drinks, zero regrets. Fall menus won’t be around forever — most of these are seasonal, so if one is calling your name, this weekend is a very good time to answer.
Still to check off the bucket list before the season’s out: the apple orchard, the annual leaf pile photoshoot, a seasonal rewatch, and two rounds of fall baking. The coffees were the easy part.
Tell me in the comments: what’s the best fall drink you’ve had this year, and where? I’m already keeping notes for next year’s list.
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