Shift Coffee Fall Menu Review
“Here’s a Topo Chico for the road, because you’re about to go through Flavor Country.”
Those are the words barista Ramon Muzquiz used to kick off our journey through Shift Coffee’s fall menu – and he wasn’t kidding. This tour de taste traveled through every fall flavor imaginable, from historical landmarks to townie favorites. So grab your jackets and pile into the car – we’re about to go for a ride.
It may be fall, but this is Texas, y’all: it’s still hot out there, and an ice-cold refreshing beverage sure makes all the difference at the end of the day. Enter the Rosie McCann. The savory scent of rosemary sets up the combo of plum syrup and fizzy water to be all the sweeter and more refreshing, with just a touch of cardamom on the finish to tie it all together. You’ll want to kick back on the patio with this star of the county down and watch the leaves drop.
If you’re looking for refreshment with more of a caffeinated kick, check out the Cranberry Fairy. This NOLA–inspired iced coffee has just the right amount of cranberry and cinnamon flavors to balance the creamy half-and-half and nutty cold brew. The Shifties (that’s what I’m calling the baristas, and you can’t stop me) style this beverage as a “magical mixture,” and they ain’t wrong. This beverage is simply Thanksgiving in a cup.
Shift Coffee is known for coffee – it’s in the name, after all – but it seems like every seasonal menu they release has at least one non-coffee beverage on it that demonstrates just how much the baristas like to play with flavor in all forms. Solomon’s Rose takes the delicate aroma of rosewater and expertly integrates it into a comforting steamer. The most surprising aspect is that, while fragrant, the Rose is far from weak. The piloncillo (a Latin American style of unrefined cane sugar) and persimmon give this drink just enough weight to feel full, yet light. And yeah, we’re always fans of drinks with edible flower garnish.
Ever wanted to start your day with a shot, but can’t justify the whole “drinking-tequila-at-7-AM” thing? Well, Barista Ramon fixed that problem for you with the Tahini Sunrise. This coffee shot is meant to be drunk (wink wink) like a Tequila Sunrise: lick the rim, shoot the shot, eat the fruit. The experience progresses from complex flavors to simple. The rim has eight (EIGHT!) ingredients alone, with Mediterranean flavors like tahini, fennel, and ginger snaps to wake your taste buds up. The shot is a “crema-reserved” (read: filtered through paper) espresso, leaving just the dark, nutty “coffee” flavor to shoot. Either of those parts of the beverage would be a strange experience by itself, but combine them one after the other, finish it with the provided orange wedge, and it’s the cleanest, quickest, and tastiest way to get going to wherever the day takes you.
What Fall coffee menu would be complete without a take on a dirty chai? The Orange Cacao Chai Forever hits all the right notes with a warm, sweet citrus introduction, followed by a hint of dry cacao, and leaves that delicious chai spiced flavor lingering in your mouth long after the last sip. Cozy up in a corner, grab your favorite book, and spend a lazy fall day drinking this lovely treat in comfort.