Anyone who drinks Pumpkin Spice Lattes (PSL) will agree, it’s not a matter of IF you should buy/drink/obsess about them, it’s a matter of how much you have to spend on them each winter season (yes, I know, spoken like a true addict). At $3.89 per 12-ounce drink, I decided to see how closely (and cheaply) I could replicate this fall treat.
Without further ado, meet my focus group:
We tested four PSL concoctions (recipe for each below):
- (A) Pumpkin spice mixed with espresso beans and ground together
- (B) Starbucks original pumpkin spice latte
- (C) Homemade PSL syrup
- (D) Trader Joes pumpkin flavored coffee
Our *very scientific* experiment concluded that:
- (A) was a delicious fall beverage (and was easiest to make) but tasted more like a gingerbread latte;
- (B) was obviously the SBC option and had the strongest pumpkin flavor even though my homemade syrup had 1/2 cup of REAL pumpkin in it. (I’ve read about the SBC PSL syrup is that there is not much pumpkin in it. I will investigate further to see if I can figure out what ingredients are in that delicious/confounded syrup!)
- (C) was passable but not as potent as SBC (=I should have put more syrup in it, might have been closer in taste);
- (D) was gross. Sorry Trader Joes.
And now, the recipes! (For one, 12-ounce beverage)
(A) Mix 1-2 tsp. of pumpkin spice in with 2 TBSP of espresso beans and grind together. Use espresso machine or alternate coffee making contraption. Mix with steamed milk, sprinkle with more pumpkin spice and serve!
(B) Go to Starbucks and pay nearly $4 to buy a PSL. Cry a little in your cup while drinking this delicious beverage because you just spent so much money.
(C) Mix together (1.5 cups water, 1.5 cups sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree) in a pan and simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced. Stir in (1/8 tsp. pumpkin spice, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and a dash of allspice) to liquid and voilà! You can improvise on the spices depending on what you already own. This recipe cost me $2 for the pumpkin and 15 minutes to make about 1 cup of syrup (that’s a lot of lattes!!)
(D) Don’t make this recipe. Although if you do purchase the coffee blend, it makes a much better drip coffee beverage.
Seattle From Scratch 
I wonder if the flavor of the homemade sauce would be better if you included the spices while cooking it on the stove, giving the flavors a chance to really come out. My roommate is a former Starbuck’s barista, so I have the best of both worlds–though I’m more of an egg nog girl.
Hm…interesting idea. Time for another taste test! Does your roommate know what Starbucks puts in the drink, or is it secret? I used to work there too, but it was before the time of PSLs!
Also, already planning to do a homemade eggnog post. i ❤ eggnog too!!
I have a great eggnog recipe from last Christmas! 🙂
I was thinking about the Trader Joe’s option #4… I think the reason it tasted so nasty in espresso form is because it was pre-ground for drip coffee. Espresso grounds are usually finer to extract more flavor (as opposed to the dirty tea taste that the TJ’s option gave us!). This is quite the fun/educational learning experience, and is re-igniting my inner coffee master nerd. 😛
Yeah…I did grind it really fine though to use in the espresso machine. But, it’s definitely not as fresh when it’s pre-ground. Also, like you said the other night, probably a lighter roast (maybe even as light as a breakfast blend…shudder :P)
Yuck! I tried the trader joes pumpkin coffee too! I was so disappointed!
Agreed the TJ’s pumpkin coffee is just so-so…I wish they could provide it as whole beans vs the already ground version. I found it to be too strong of flavor, I’m more of a mellow girl.