Every fall, I brace for two words that will appear everywhere, like on billboards, ads and menus. Pumpkin spice suddenly becomes inescapable. It is in lattes, coffees, donuts and more. 

But there is a superior flavor to this fall fad: apple cider. 

Apple cider tastes like home. Its rich apple flavor mixed with the slight hint of cinnamon dances on the tongue, making me crave glass after glass. 

It’s also delicious warm or cold, which I can’t always say about pumpkin spice. Pumpkin spice is a specifically warm drink flavor. Pumpkin spice drinks being anything short of scalding hot seem to bring out a graininess in the drink.

Besides apple cider, there are also a multitude of apple-flavored items that are just as delicious. Apple donuts, apple pie, and my personal favorite, apple fritters. The only other pumpkin-flavored item that’s tasty is pumpkin pie and even then I need whipped cream to eat a slice.   

Apple cider flavoring usually has a smooth feel in the mouth. Pumpkin spice makes you feel like you’re swallowing sand with the heavy spices. 

Pumpkin spice isn’t even made with real pumpkin — it’s just different spices mixed together. I don’t think it successfully executes the taste of an actual pumpkin. Real pumpkin has a slight nutty flavor that the popular pumpkin spice flavoring lacks. 

Apple cider is made with real apples — apples are washed, mashed, and pressed to get the juice from them. The spice is then added after the pulp is strained out. Apple cider can also be made from a variety of apples. My favorite apples to be turned into cider are the Honeycrisp apples. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness and it perfectly balances with the slight tang of cinnamon. 

It has a better mouth-feel, is good at any temperature and is accurately named. It’s pretty obvious which drink is superior from these comparisons. 

Maybe next time you think about the autumn season, instead of thinking of it as “Pumpkin Spice Season” change your thought to “Apple Cider Season.”