Video featuring Marshall Betz, Moshelle Borjigin, Brenn Hardaway, and Colin Hemingway.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and pumpkin spice flood the air of Watershed Cafe during the cool autumn months. Chain coffee companies like Starbucks are known for their pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin cream cold brews, but here in Poolesville, local Watershed Cafe is brewing their own homegrown fall drinks. 

Watershed Cafe designs their seasonal drink menus based upon what ingredients their locally-sourced farms can provide. This fall, cinnamon has become a staple in Watershed’s coffee-based hot drinks. From the Lumberjack latte, to the Dirty Chai and Cinnamon lattes, most of the menu consisted of spiced drinks, but floral drinks such as Lavender and Mint lattes were introduced at the end of the summer and have been available ever since. 

All of the hot fall drinks stem from Watershed’s latte base, consisting of La Columbe coffee, whole milk, cream and milk foam. Once the base latte is made, fresh, homemade ingredients are added to create the signature flavor. 

The lumberjack latte consists of a latte with a cinnamon and maple syrup blend. Head cashier Marshall Betz explained that the idea for the Lumberjack came from a classic drink at his alma mater, St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The Cinnamon latte similarly stems from the latte base with cinnamon. Per usual Watershed ingredients, the cinnamon syrup used to make the cinnamon and lumberjack lattes is homemade in the Watershed kitchen using local and fresh cinnamon. 

The dirty chai latte once again starts with the latte base, but added to it is Watershed’s homemade whole spice chai blend, steamed milk and a shot of espresso. Betz explained that it is probably his favorite drink to make because it is made entirely from scratch, using whole spice, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and orange picot tea. 

He said, “It’s just a really pretty drink to look at. Smells great and tastes great.” 

The lavender latte differs from the more traditional fall drinks in that it originated as a summer drink, but has been kept on the menu do to popular demand. Watershed Cafe owner and head chef Ben Ritter explained that the lavender latte was a community favorite and local farms were able to continue supplying fresh lavender, so it only made sense to keep it on the menu. 

Watershed prides itself on using locally sourced and farm-fresh ingredients as much as possible. Their website advertises their philosophy, stating, “We are proud to be the ONLY restaurant in the Ag. Reserve that features and promotes the food grown in the Ag. Reserve.” 

Watershed sources their coffee using La Columbe coffee, an American-grown company that roasts their coffee in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Betz explained that Watershed uses La Columbe coffee because they are committed to being ethically produced and eco-friendly. La Columbe’s five principles of ethical trade are “fairness, longevity, opportunity, water, and strictly earth conscious” which aligns with Watershed’s values of being farm fresh and locally, ethically sourced. 

Situated in the middle of the agricultural reserve, Watershed Cafe has access to a plethora of fresh produce to build their menu from. Their fall drinks are no exception as they incorporate fresh spices and seasonal ingredients to create new lattes to match their autumnal restaurant decor.