Philz Coffee’s pistachio spice is a new limited-time winter drink that stands out among its other seasonal offerings with its nutty and spiced flavor profile.

As winter season drinks become available again, I usually find myself reaching for familiar flavors such as coffees or lattes that include honey and drinks that won’t feel heavy in my stomach.

This time I decided to try something different.

Initially, pistachio spice sounded like it would be the same as other pistachio-inspired desserts or coffee from other coffee shops since it gained popularity this time around. 

The Philz Coffee location I went to is on Paseo de San Antonio in downtown San José, located less than half a mile from campus. 

While I was ordering, multiple students were in line and seated throughout the café, studying with their laptops.

The mixed, relaxed and busy environment made it easy to focus on the drink itself rather than wanting to rush through it, which added to my overall experience. 

I ordered my pistachio spice drink iced and in a size small, with a regular amount of sweet and cream with oatmilk, the default milk option for the drink.

When I first received the drink, it had a light brown color with cinnamon powder on top. 

Although the cinnamon was visible on top of the drink, I could barely taste it until I was about a quarter of the way through. 

The pistachio flavor stood out the most throughout the drink and didn’t get lost, even with spices like cardamom mixed in.

At times, the cardamom added a heavy spice kick to the drink, which overpowered the pistachio, but managed to blend well.

After each sip, the spice gave the drink a slightly minty taste.

I’ve noticed Philz frequently adds in spice drinks during seasonal releases, using ingredients such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom to create a bolder flavor in every drink. 

The drink was very creamy because of the oatmilk, and it helped balance out the spices and made the drink smoother.

As I continued drinking, the flavors blended, making the second half of the drink more enjoyable.

Although I ordered the drink with a regular sweetness level with pistachio syrup, the drink wasn’t as sweet as I expected. 

Since the spices in the drink were strong, I could barely taste the coffee itself. 

The caffeine didn’t have as strong a kick as I anticipated, which made the drink feel more like a flavored specialty drink rather than a coffee option. 

Aside from the pistachio spice, Philz also offered the cashew cocoa cold brew and veggie egg white bites as a part of their winter menu this season, according to a 2026 PR Newswire article.

While the spice was too strong for my personal taste, the drink was still enjoyable and had a unique and complex taste to it. 

For coffee drinkers who like bold, nutty and spiced flavors, this seasonal drink is worth a try.

I rate the Pistachio Spice drink a three out of five stars.