Ah, fall in Texas: the cool morning parade of stylish sweaters and jackets, followed by a sweaty noontime parade of backpacks and purses overstuffed with stylish sweaters and jackets. The weather around here may be undependable, but you can definitely count on one thing: the best seasonal beverage menus of the year. West Oak has a new fall menu out for the tasting, so we stopped by to see which ones made us ready for the falling leaves and (mostly) cooler temps. 

Yam Spiced Latte
If you’re hankering for that classic fall taste, look no further than the Yam Spiced Latte. The spiced mix of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove comes through in the aroma, while the finish to the drink is all sweet yam (or is it sweet potato?). It’s a tasty beverage on its own, but see if you can sweet-talk the barista (pun intended) into throwing some toasted marshmallows on top.

Sweet & Spice
This cool refreshment takes inspiration from Thai styles of iced coffee. Cold brew combines with sweet-and-spiced condensed milk to make a refreshing beverage with a surprisingly spicy finish. Take it to go for a break from the afternoon warmth or pair it with one of their savory toast options, like the Breakfast Toast or SOS Hash. 

Taro Latte
Another Asian-inspired drink, the Taro Latte is the only drink on the specialty menu not made with coffee. It’s a steamer flavored with taro root, a Japanese sweet potato. While we couldn’t come to a consensus on what the drink reminded us of – cereal milk, marshmallows, and Nilla wafers were the top contenders – we all agreed that this special is the perfect after-dinner sweet treat.

Fall Tonic
West Oak keeps a tonic-and-espresso combination on their seasonal menu in every iteration, but this version is hands-down our favorite. The floating cranberries on the drink makes for an entertaining mini-round of bobbing for apples (side note: does anyone have a bobbing-for-apples setup in Denton? Seriously, we need to know). The single-origin espresso (in our case, an Ethiopian coffee) plays off the Mediterranean tonic nicely, but what ties the drink together is the spritz of orange aromatics on the top. The cranberries are the star, but the orange is what lingers. 

Campfire Cortado
The Campfire Cortado returns to the fall menu for another year, and with good reason. The walnut-smoked simple syrup, the steamed chocolate milk, the house blend espresso – it all just works. Make sure to taste the sugar rim of the glass first, because it somehow makes the cortado taste even sweeter. This tiny concoction is still a delightful treat. 

Which one of West Oak’s new fall specials is your favorite? Tag your pictures with #thedentonite on Instagram and Twitter and let us know what drinks keep you moving this fall.

Photos by Kristen Watson
Header image design by Shaina Sheaff