6 Best Fall Coffee Pod Flavors (That Aren't Pumpkin)

When leaves begin to turn shades of red, orange, and yellow and the air starts to cool, fall décor takes over, and seasonal favorites come out of storage. Whether it's a cozy sweater, fluffy socks, or your grandmother's hand-knit blanket, we all have our favorite go-to fall staples. One of mine is fall coffee flavors. I love pumpkin spice lattes as much as the next person, but there are many more fall flavors out there to enjoy. After all, it's not just gourds that grace our dining room tables when festivities are under way. There's also apple pie, candied pecans, and cinnamon-touched pastries to consider. Classic combinations like apple and cinnamon and maple and pecan don't receive as much fanfare as pumpkin, and that's a shame.

If you've ever found yourself wandering the coffee aisle looking for something different, or at least, a fall flavor that isn't pumpkin, then you're in luck. We rounded up a bunch of the best fall coffee pod flavors to help you expand your pantry with a variety of seasonal coffee hits.

If you're a fan of an apple-cinnamon flavor, we think you'll love this one. Tim Hortons has created a limited-edition fall coffee that is, what I consider, stellar. True to its name, it smells and tastes like an apple dessert. Even though fritters are fried, when this coffee is brewing, it smells like an apple pie baking in the oven. One sip and I was transported to an apple orchard — specifically, the kind of orchard that also makes fresh cider and handmade apple cider donuts to offer to visitors.

It's a solid medium roast when brewed at 10 ounces, but delivers more depth at 8 ounces, making it a good option for adding creamer. As delicious as the apple-cinnamon flavor is, it doesn't overpower the coffee itself, which is smooth and still has some heft to it. The flavor is front and center, lingering nicely without a dreaded aftertaste. The spicy cinnamon backdrop complements the pleasant apple taste. This is a perfect cup of fall coffee to enjoy while you're rocking on your porch, gazing at sunset or sunrise, snuggled under a warm blanket on a cool, crisp day. Yep, it's that good.

For a flavor that sounds heavy, Starbucks Smoked Butterscotch is surprisingly light when brewed at 10 ounces. The smell is intoxicating, wafting through the room with a deep, enticing scent that triggers the taste buds into action, like a batch of butterscotch cookies are baking in the oven. The butterscotch flavor is pronounced but not overwhelming. It made me think of my grandparents' house and the butterscotch candies that filled decorative candy bowls during the holidays. If you like those candies, we think you'll like this coffee.

The coffee is pretty smooth and still features an earthy coffee kick, which is likely related to the smoked part of the equation. It has a tiny bit of aftertaste, but it's nearly nonexistent. If you prefer a darker and heartier coffee, 8 ounces brings more depth and coffee punch than the 10-ounce option, making it a great coffee for creamer or to use in recipes that can make your kitchen feel like a café. Topping it with whipped cream would be wonderfully indulgent. It's one of those fall coffee flavors that you drink in front of a fire while lounging in a cozy chair and reading a good book.

Green Mountain Maple Pecan embodies Vermont and instantly feels New England-y. The scent of maple as it's brewing reminds me of living in the mountains of the green state, going to the local farmer's market, and smelling the maple syrup that inevitably lingers in the air, like a booth selling candied pecans — the kind where pecans are coated in maple syrup and then baked in the oven or warmed up in a slow cooker. This coffee would pair well with desserts or foods that have a similar profile, like breakfast pancakes, French toast, or maple-smoked bacon.

The coffee is a light to medium roast at 10 ounces and a solid medium at 8 ounces, making the latter option a good choice for adding creamer. It's tasty, though, of course, the added flavoring doesn't replace real maple syrup tapped from the trees. The coffee has a slightly nutty background note with a nice, balanced finish. It's a fairly smooth sip and naturally sweet. Well, as natural as it gets when the sweetness comes from artificial ingredients. Thankfully, it doesn't have an aftertaste. But it makes a great cup of coffee for an autumn afternoon of leaf peeping.

Apple cider donuts are a childhood memory of falls spent visiting farms that either had apple trees or pumpkin patches for picking the fruit. The open barn would showcase the farm's goodies for sale like apple cider made fresh from the farm's apples and donuts made by hand and then fried and powdered to order. The donuts were still warm when you got them. Yum. Dunkin' Apple Cider Donut coffee does not disappoint in delivering a warm taste of fall. If you're a fan of apples, you'll likely be a fan of this fall coffee.

Brewed at 10 ounces, it's a light to medium roast, and I thought the 8-ounce option perfectly brewed a solid cup of apple-touched coffee. It smells very pleasant while it's brewing and the apple cider flavor is light but present. The coffee has a tangy note and subtle spiced background that would go really well with something like cinnamon toast, crullers, or cinnamon sticks. It's a smooth cup of coffee that goes down fairly easily without leaving a nasty aftertaste. It could make a welcome addition to an apple crumb coffee cake, whether drinking it to enjoy with your slice or infusing the entire cake with the grounds.

Whiskey and coffee have been entwined together at least since the birth of Irish coffee — that delectable concoction of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and cream. But there's another way to enjoy this flavorful twist: coffee beans aged in bourbon whiskey barrels. Whiskey and coffee play well together due to contrasting tastes that, when combined together, balance each other out. Combine the bitter notes of coffee with the sweet, smoky notes of whiskey, and you have a match. Publix offers a limited-edition cinnamon whiskey coffee for a little touch of fall in your morning cup of joe.

It features a very light scent of cinnamon while it's brewing. Made using the 10-ounce option, the coffee is light to medium. It went down pretty smooth with a touch of a cinnamon background note. It's similar to other bourbon-aged coffees with its tangy layer and bread-like depth. There's a hint of smokiness to the cinnamon, and I envision sitting around a campfire or in front of a fireplace, maybe making some s'mores. It still has a good coffee hit to it, though, and would go well with a rich, dense cake or alongside a charcuterie board.

Pecan praline is very similar to maple pecan in that they each center on an earthy sweetness. Praline is more caramel-based with a rich, buttery sweet bite. It complements coffee's sharp base and deep flavor. Community Pecan Praline has very little scent while it's brewing, but it hints at pecan sandies fresh out of the oven. It brews dark, but it's a light to medium roast in taste. True to its flavor profile, it's a solid cup of coffee that's deep at 8 ounces, making it a great contender for creamer or as a base for a dessert drink.

The pecan praline flavor is light with a hint of a nutty background, and there's very little to no aftertaste. It's pretty mild and not overpowering, though it still features a kick of coffee. It's a coffee that can be enjoyed either at the start of your day or as way to close it out. Its deep, earthy tone matches hearty breakfasts, as well as sweet, comforting desserts.

I'm always on the lookout for seasonal items when fall officially begins and love to find new options among old standbys. It's no secret how much I love coffee and just how much I drink it. Pumpkin spice is definitely a go-to for me, but other fall coffee flavors are just as good, and I'm sure some might argue better. So I gathered a list of some of the top seasonal coffee pods that you might not be aware of (given how much pumpkin spice takes the spotlight). This list isn't exhaustive, but it's a good place to start, and the coffees are convenient to find in chain supermarkets.