Convive’s Smoke Salt Maple Latte is my favorite fall coffee – Pittsburgh City Paper

The Smoked Salt Maple Latte from Convive Coffee Credit: Stacy Rounds / Pittsburgh City Paper

Is pumpkin spice so yesterday? Some people tend to think so. I’m not one of them. I literally had a pumpkin spice coffee yesterday. My version is a no-sugar, spiced coffee with cream that I make at home from the cheap Aldi pumpkin spice pods. No hate on those who spend their hard-earned bucks on a $6 latte at a local shop, because I like to do that sometimes, too. 

Call me basic, call me a suburban mom. I can live with that. I’m one of those people who revels in the fall flavors. I’ll buy five to ten (okay, twelve) cans of pumpkin and make pumpkin cake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin custard, and pumpkin cheesecake pie every time Autumn rolls around. Not to mention roasting some amazing pumpkin seeds with my kids. (Yes, they taste better with bacon.)

Pumpkin seeds roasted with bacon Credit: Stacy Rounds / Pittsburgh City Paper

But as we get deep into the fall season, pumpkin spice loses its luster, and many of us, myself included, start looking for other autumnal flavors to indulge in. 

Cue my favorite little neighborhood coffee shop, Convive Coffee, bringing in the fall flavors with flair. 

For those who are not familiar with Convive, it’s a locally owned coffee shop and roastery that has grown into one of this Pittsburgher’s favorite local chains for high-quality coffee and, also, for a comfy place to work remotely. The company roasts its own beans in-house, and its menu includes a full range of espresso-based drinks, pour-overs, cold brew, and teas, along with locally sourced pastries, sodas, breakfast items, and light snacks. 

Convive operates several locations around the Pittsburgh area, including cafés in McCandless, Lawrenceville, the North Shore, and nearby Mars. Each shop has a clean, modern design with cozy seating. The North Shore café offers views of the river and easy access to downtown attractions, while my little McCandless location has more room for people to sit and work and an adorable gift wall with cute items like journals, books, and even a little boombox purse. 

Convive’s gift wall in McCandless Crossing Credit: Stacy Rounds / Pittsburgh City Paper

Convive also recently announced an expansion into Pittsburgh International Airport’s Concourse A, so now I won’t have to settle for a meh cup of Starbucks before a flight. I call that a win.

Convive’s fall menu includes the ever-popular pumpkin spice latte, but it also features apple cider, golden milk, an espresso and tonic blend, and something absolutely wonderful called a Smoke Salt Maple Latte. 

This is my new all-time favorite fall flavor. I’ve had three of these in a week, and I’m not sick of them yet. 

Most of the time, I regret sampling seasonal lattes at coffee shops because nearly 90% of the time, they are giant sugar bombs that make my teeth feel furry and my stomach feel sick for the rest of the day. 

This drink is not like that. While there is a mild sweetness from the maple syrup, there’s also a wonderful balance with the coffee and the smoky salt that play beautifully with the maple. This delightful seasonal coffee is like a campfire in a cup. And I can’t get enough. 

This article appears in Oct. 22-28, 2025.

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