Despite the fun seasonal events and vacation travel opportunities, I’m still a Summer-hater. Dealing with excessive sunshine and heat, plus the inability to wear layers, is incredibly frustrating and uncomfortable for me. So I’m super excited that it is officially the first day of Fall—my favorite season—and that the weather is finally beginning to cool.

But before I dig out my warm coats, cozy beanies, and knitted scarfs from the depths of my closet, I’d like to give a final farewell to the iced/cold drink season by saluting a couple of my favorite Summertime brews and caffeine-fix stops in Denver.

photo courtesy of Forest Coffee Trading Company/Facebook

There are a lot of awesome coffee shops throughout Denver, but these past few months I found the best caffeinated solace from the heat in two atypical spots: the Cherry Creek Fresh Market and Beetbox Bakery. I wasn’t expecting to find delicious cold beverages while shopping for local produce and eating vegan baked goods, but I’m not completely surprised that I did.

While not all bakeries serve good coffee and tea, some do focus on pairing their food with equally tasty drinks. Beetbox smartly serves well-crafted drinks—like Pablo’s Coffee, Bhakti Chai, and freshly squeezed O.J.—to go along with their yummy vegan sandwiches and pastries. I highly recommend adding their homemade almond milk, when ordering chai or coffee there.

Another local foodie spot where I discovered delicious iced drinks this Summer was the Farmers’ Market in Cherry Creek. In addition to finding the Happy Leaf Kombucha vendor there, market goers can also hit up the Forest Coffee Trading Company stand for freshly roasted beans, pour-over coffee, and cold brews. Forest Coffee is the only U.S. roaster to source beans from the Phahi Hill Tribe in Northern Thailand. Their cold brew coffee was one of the most refreshing drinks I had this Summer.

I’m excited to buy a bag of Forest Coffee beans to brew myself a warm cup at home this Fall. I’ll also continue frequenting Beetbox for a cup of hot chai or coffee to go along with their seasonal treats. It’s been an annoyingly hot Summer and I’m eager for the weather to change so that I can adjust my wardrobe and switch over to my favorite autumnal drinks.

Javaher Nooryani