Unique everyday drink combinations

As summer ends and autumn begins, drinks are changing, too. So, what is a fun and unique drink to add to your everyday rotation?

Over the summer, drink trends have included light and fruity drinks to quench thirst in the hot weather. TikTok trends have shown many coffee shops making iced coffees and matcha with fruity syrups. The Nitro Bar is one of these places. Their drinks over the summer include cherry vanilla matcha, cherry vanilla iced latte, blueberry matcha, blueberry iced latte, and caramelised banana matcha and latte. After this summer, the Nitro Bar isn’t the only coffee shop with a fruity drinks menu. Blank Street and Black Sheep Coffee have hopped onto the same fruity drinks trend. Depending on the coffee each shop uses, different types of coffee pair best with various fruits. The coffee’s acidity, roast and overall flavour profile can all impact which flavours it pairs the best with. The bitter and earthy taste of matcha pairs well with fruity flavours for similar reasons to coffee — both are bitter, and the acidity and sweetness of the fruit can make for a refreshing and unique summer drink.

The banana bread matcha is returning from last year and has warm flavours, making it suitable for colder weather

Now that we are approaching autumn and winter, the flavour profiles change and become cosier and warmer. Starbucks’ famous pumpkin spice latte is returning to our coffee rotations. Starbucks is promoting a selection of pumpkin-themed drinks, from the original pumpkin spice latte to a pumpkin cream cold brew with pumpkin foam, an iced pecan crunch oat latte, and the pumpkin chai. All these drinks have a cinnamon and spiced flavour profile, suited to the cooler weather in autumn and winter. Starbucks is popular in both the UK and the US; The UK has 1,410 stores, and the US has 17,186. The pumpkin spice latte is very popular for both. Although it is one of the most beloved autumnal drinks, many independent coffee shops have developed some interesting flavours for coffees and matchas if you were looking for a more unique winter drink. The Nitro Bar is promoting their whipped maple sea salt latte and matcha as one of their customers’ favourites for the autumn and wintertime. Blank Street Coffee has also come out with a range of autumn drinks: a banana bread matcha, a gingersnap latte, and an apple butter matcha. The banana bread matcha is returning from last year and has warm flavours, making it suitable for colder weather.

Sometimes, a classic and simple coffee is enjoyable, and other times, a unique combination of flavours may become your new favourite drink

Although they are not trending online as much, hot coffee is an option for a new unique drink. Many coffee shops have the option of classic hot coffees like a latte or a flat white. Using an alternative milk in these classic coffees can add a fun twist. Even though it is not unique, a hot vanilla or caramel latte is a popular drink for a reason. But, if you want to try something unique, coffees from different countries can offer variety. A Vietnamese coffee is a unique drink to try this winter. They use strong beans, as they use Robusta beans rather than Arabica beans. A filter drip is used, and the beans are roasted in the traditional way, with rice wine, salt, butter, and chocolate or caramel, giving the beans a very deep and powerful flavour. The most common coffees found in a Vietnamese coffee shop are egg coffee, coffee with milk, yoghurt coffee, and coconut coffee. Another unique coffee to try is a Spanish latte. It has an equal proportion of coffee to milk and is often sweetened with condensed milk. This is similar to sweetening your coffee with syrup, but slightly more unique and will make for a creamier texture.

Drinks are constantly changing and evolving. Sometimes, a classic and simple coffee is enjoyable, and other times, a unique combination of flavours may become your new favourite drink. The only way to find out is by trying out your own unique drink!