The era of the pumpkin-spice latte is fading from the spotlight. While they still appear on menus, apples are mounting a serious push to claim the throne. La Colombe is aiding that push with a new seasonal, ready-to-drink draft latte for a limited run—salted caramel apple.
The beverage combines the familiar fall-note of caramel apples with a touch of sea salt and a coffee-forward espresso roast cold brew. The pre-packaged variant includes whole milk and arrives in a can featuring a green apple paired with caramel brown hues, a nod to the flavor inside.
Our Thoughts
Pros: The flavor lands with accuracy. At times it even nudges toward an apple-pie profile, but with proper attention you can circle back to the core caramel-apple notes. It feels as if they pressed a fresh caramel apple off the stick, whisked in some milk and espresso, and canned it straight away. I’m genuinely impressed; I expected something more like an earnest attempt than a fully realized sip.
Cons: They nailed the intended flavor, yet I’m not entirely convinced it harmonizes perfectly. I’ll admit a personal bias: I don’t love drinks where the espresso dominates too much. Beyond that, it seems to push the caramel-apple balance in a direction that can feel a bit overbearing.
The drink opens with a notably smooth caramel-apple taste that quickly gives way to the espresso on the finish. After that, all that’s left is the lingering espresso flavor—leaving you wishing you could spend the whole morning savoring a crisp caramel apple. It’s easy to wonder what might have been if the balance had tipped differently.
It’s also worth noting that this beverage contains dairy milk, which is a preference of mine. If you’re crafting a ready-to-drink latte that can accommodate alternatives, it might make sense to use a non-dairy option. I’m not the company making it, though, so they likely have their reasons.
La Colombe fera bientôt porter la version prête-à-boire du breuvage dans l’ensemble de ses cafés à partir d’aujourd’hui. Vous pouvez également ajouter la saveur salted caramel apple à un matcha, un latte, un draft latte, ou n’importe quelle boisson de votre choix ! Leurs cafés sont implantés dans les grandes villes, dont Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphie, Chicago et Austin.
