It's pumpkin spice season! 5 Louisville spots where you can already get a taste of fall

Think back. Can you remember a fall season without the option to drink something pumpkin-y from a Starbucks cup?

If so, those memories are more than two decades old. When the Pumpkin Spice Latte orders start flowing on Aug. 24 at nationwide Starbucks stores, the coffee chain will be celebrating 20 years of the specialty beverage that forever changed what we sip while wearing flannel shirts.

It doesn’t matter that temperatures, according to the National Weather Service, will surpass 90 degrees this week in Louisville. It doesn’t matter that the first day of fall is still weeks away. And it doesn’t matter if you prefer a regular ol’ drip coffee. Pumpkin spice lattes and their festive counterparts, a blend of autumnal-themed concoctions, are here to stay.

That’s the case at Starbucks, where the "PSL" season will be accompanied by two new drinks, including an Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte and Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso. It's also the case at local coffee shops, where seasonal menus are already starting to show up on handwritten chalkboards.

Here’s where you can find your first taste of fall in a cup around Louisville:

Fante's Coffee

2501 Grinstead Drive; fantescoffee.com; Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

The first half of Fante’s fall specialty menu dropped earlier this week with seven drinks, including the trusty Pumpkin Spice Latte and a Maple Cinnamon Latte. Others include a “Campfire Mocha,” made with marshmallow syrup and topped with toasted marshmallows and graham cracker crumbles.”

Fante’s manager Linda Sanders said it feels like a “race” each year to get the fall menu out.

“It’s steadily gotten more popular,” she said. “Fall is our biggest time of year. Our customers love the season. They’re ready for a change from summer.”

Since Fante’s opened six years ago, Sanders says requests for fall drinks have come “earlier and earlier."

Customers are ready,” she added. “If we start putting it out in July, I might have to say something.”

Full Stop Station

1132 E Saint Catherine St.; fullstopstation.com; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily  

You’ll have to wait a little longer for fall offerings at this Germantown go-to for coffee. Full Stop starts its fall menu in October with drinks such as “Demeter’s Chai,” a chai latte made with fresh carrot juice, “Practical Magic,” a latte with a house-made rosemary brown sugar recipe, a latte with Blackstrap molasses and an espresso tonic made with pear juice and cardamom.

Those are some of Full Stop’s best-sellers from previous fall seasons, according to bar manager, Dani Craft.

“There’s nothing more exciting than a new season,” Craft said. “You need something to get you into the vibe for the times.”

Please & Thank You

800 E. Market St. and 2341 Frankfort Ave.; wearepleaseandthankyou.com; Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  

Hints of fall will soon add to the chocolate-chip-cookie scents at Please & Thank You, where seasonal drinks hit the menu on Sept. 1. Those drinks include a spicy apple season steamer and caramel apple chai.

Patrons will also find a “Harvest Moon Latte,” named after the Neil Young song, made with a pumpkin spice blend and maple syrup.

“It’s kind of like a hug,” Zoe Austin, of Please & Thank You, said of the latte. “It’s so comforting with all those warm spices.”

The popular Louisville mainstay found a workaround for its “no decaf” policy to offer a caramel apple cider, featuring ingredients from Huber's Orchard and Winery. The shop, known for its chocolate chip cookies, will soon decorate for Halloween and begin serving seasonal food items such as pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies.

“We want to get everyone in the spirit,” Austin said.

Safai Coffee Shop

1707 Bardstown Road; safaicoffee.com; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

Starting Sept. 1, Safai’s seasonal menu will flip to fall. Options include a French Toast Latte, Pumpkin Latte, Baked Apple Latte and Pumpkin Mocha. The “Grand Theft Autumn,” is a cold brew made with turmeric and pumpkin pie sauce.

“We also have some surprises up our sleeves and will be dropping even more new creations as fall goes on,” said Adam Sears, who works at Safai.

Scooter's Coffee

Multiple locations; scooterscoffee.com; 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily 

“We launched you know what today and we’re all very excited about it,” read a post Wednesday on Scooter’s Louisville’s Facebook page. That would be referring to Scooter’s fall menu, which includes a Pumpkin Spice Latte and a “Pumpkin Caramelicious,” an espresso drink made with caramel, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. It’s topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel.

“We want to stay on the pulse of what consumers want,” said Katie Peabody, the store’s district manager. “When they see pumpkin, they get so excited. It’s pure joy.”

The drinks are available hot, iced or blended for a limited time at Scooter’s six Louisville locations.

“Pumpkin has become this representation of what is coming for the fall season,” she said. “The pumpkin craze is sort of part of our culture.”

Here‘s something fun for those who like unflavored coffee: During the month of September, Scooter’s will offer free brewed coffee at all of its stores.

Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Pumpkin spice lattes in Louisville: 5 cafés serving specialty drinks