The Seasonal Fall Beverage Ina Garten Just Can't Get Behind

If there is one celebrity chef you should take fall eating advice from, it's probably Ina Garten. While other chefs like Bobby Flay might be behind the barbecue in summer, Garten's famously homey cooking from her home in the Hamptons calls out strongest when the leaves are turning and there is a chill in the air. Even if she doesn't explicitly say it, Garten's favorite comfort foods are full of fall flavors and feel like they are made for eating near a warm fire. But there is one fall classic, or at least a new classic, that she is not interested in at all: a pumpkin spice latte.

This might come as a shock, but Garten's disinterest has less to do with hating pumpkin and spice and more to do with something she does really like. She revealed this preference in a video for Today, where she rated controversial foods (yes to avocado toast, no to pineapple on pizza if you're curious). When asked about pumpkin spice lattes, she simply responded, "I like coffee to taste like coffee."

Garten has talked plenty about her love of coffee in the past, including her love of the cup her husband makes, and it's clear she really wants the coffee flavor to shine through. Garten's favorite coffee brand is the specialty Dallis Bros, and she doesn't want anything but milk in it, not even sugar. It's no surprise that the syrupy sweet, spice-heavy PSL doesn't really appeal to her.

While Garten may not want her coffee to taste like pumpkin, she clearly loves the flavor in other contexts. Her recipe pages are full of pumpkin desserts, including flan, a pumpkin mousse tart, and even pumpkin spice cupcakes. But her personal favorite is a pumpkin roulade. It's a simple rolled cake made with a pumpkin-flavored sponge and filled with an Italian mascarpone and ginger cream. Sounds like it would be great with a simple cup of Jeffrey's coffee.

If you are looking for a more special fall beverage, what does Garten like? One recipe that she has shared is hot spiced apple cider, which she makes with or without bourbon. However, unlike the pumpkin spice latte, this is one you'll have to make for yourself because PSL creator and popularizer Starbucks has recently dropped the Caramel Apple Spice from its menu after getting rid of the apple juice in its stores. Garten has also created another apple cider-based fall drink that is even more unique: a fall sangria. In it, she makes a cinnamon syrup and steeps the wine with fresh apples, cider, and apple brandy.

Pumpkin spice lattes are widely popular; Garten's opinion is clearly a minority one. But her personal favorite fall drinks show that there are a lot of seasonal flavors worth trying. At the very least, you'll be a lot less hyped up on caffeine.