Buff Bites: Sipping on seasonal flavors

A s the cooler weather moves into Colorado, it’s the perfect time to start experimenting with some delicious drinks that can help warm up your insides.

You’ll find cinnamon, peppermint and pumpkin spicing up drinks at local coffee shops this time of year, but on a student budget, you can only afford so many $5 pumpkin-spice lattes. Instead, get creative.

Jasmine Diaz, a University of Colorado junior and barista at the Hearsay Cafe in Wolf Law, said the same fall favorites can be recreated at home for half the cost.

For a more subtle addition to your morning joe, let a candy cane, a sprinkling of marshmallows, caramels or a cinnamon stick melt in the bottom of your cup, Diaz suggests. By combining flavors, adjusting the ratios or just switching up your coffee flavors, you’ll find endless possibilities she said.

Regardless of the season, Diaz said her favorite warm drink is hot chocolate.

“I’m a chocoholic,” Diaz said. “I’m not a big coffee drinker myself, but I can always go for some hot chocolate.”

Diaz said her chocolate monster recipe combines steamed milk, Hersey’s syrup, Kahlua and Ovaltine for a super-charged chocolate rush.

For the true chocolate lover, Diaz said to pair the toasty treat with a chocolate chip cookie — but to calm down the chocolate obsession, she suggests some cinnamon rolls.

“We use crescent rolls and just keep them in squares, coat them with some butter and cinnamon and sugar and bake normally,” Diaz said.

“It’s makes about 12 mini-rolls per tube and it’s really fast.”

Even those without a sweet tooth can enjoy a warm concoction like a chai tea Diaz said.

Sara Martinelli, owner of The Boulder Dushanbe Tea House, said teas are not only delicious and warm but they can also help students focus while studying or get a good night’s sleep before a big test.

For a something to sip on during a late-night study sesh, Martinelli suggests starting with a green tea and adding some dried rosemary and ginkgo leaf.

“Green tea tends to have that caffeine effect without making you super jittery,” Martinelli said. “Rosemary is historically used for strengthening your memory, and ginkgo is used for strengthening your intellect and mental processes.”

Equally important for success in the classroom is a solid night’s sleep, Martinelli said, and she has just the tea to help you drift off despite your pre-exam nerves. She suggests combining lemon balm, chamomile and passion flower to make a soothing sipper before bed.

“This one is 100 percent herbal, so no caffeine at all,” Martinelli said.

All of these fall flavors can be bought in bulk at local markets, Martinelli said, so if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

“Just throw it away if you don’t like it,” she said. “It’s cheap so you can experiment without fear of over spending.”