I, An Australian, Just Tried Pumpkin Spice Coffee And Now I Have Many Burning Questions For The USA

First up, someone needs to tell me whether I drink it with or without actual PUMPKIN.

If you've clicked into this article, then you know what you're in store for — so let's get into it, shall we?

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For context, it is currently autumn in Australia (or ~fall~ as my American friends would say), which means I'm primed to taste-test the official drink of the season. 

I'll start off by saying that there's nothing inherently offensive to me about the concept of a pumpkin spice latte, but I have simply never, in all my many years of coffee-drinking, been tempted to try it.

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I'm also an Aussie and — as we're well-known for being snobby when it comes to our coffee — it's not a flavour that is widely available on our sunny shores. 

Many moons ago, Starbucks in Australia apparently tried to launch pumpkin spice lattes, but given the local sentiment that Starbucks = the devil, it didn't exactly gain traction. 

So I entered this experiment with an open mind and a willingness to learn — after all, I love a dirty chai and that's chock-full of spicy goodness! But the one thing I couldn't get my head around was this: Does the pumpkin spice latte contain actual pumpkin, or is it just the spices?

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During my research, I found multiple recipes for both options. So in the interest of science, I decided to give both varieties a go.

So, without further ado, let's GET INTO IT. 

Alright, so first up, I had to actually source the ingredients for this experiment and that proved a surprisingly difficult endeavour.

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As I've said, pumpkin spice isn't a thing here, so I had to buy all the spices separately to make a DIY mix. And apparently ground clove is not that common, so I had to go to three different stores to get the goods.

My next difficulty was finding tinned pumpkin??? I tried the soup aisle, in amongst the tinned veggies, the damned baby food section — nada.

Eventually, I found a sweet tin from Mississippi on the dedicated "American" shelf of the international aisle — right next to a jar of Marshmallow Fluff.

I started with the spice mix, which, I'll admit, was pretty much winged — with very little care for measurement. Most recipes I found suggested a combo of cinnamon, all spice, ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg.

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I went heavy on the cinnamon, which seemed to be the vibe of most recipes.

Next, I brewed myself a good quality cup of coffee. To give the pumpkin a fighting chance.

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No, this brand didn't pay me to include them. Yes, I would have liked it if they did. Also, please enjoy how stained my mug is from caffeine.

Then, in with one tablespoon of maple syrup (which seemed excessive, but I do what I'm told) and a quarter teaspoon of the pumpkin spice.

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I topped her off with steamed soy milk, a little extra spice on top and we were ready to go.

Which led me to this startling discovery: Pumpkin spice is pretty fucking nice.

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It's like a warm hug in a mug? Kind of like Christmas and Easter and merriment, all blended into that sweet, sweet bean juice.

But next, I had to go one step further and mix in a teaspoon of pure pumpkin puree. The recipe actually called for a tablespoon, but at this point, I was half a coffee cup down and I felt I had to adjust.

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So I plopped it straight into the mug and stirred like I've never stirred before. I truly feared a big, juicy clump landing in my mouth.

And let me tell you, I went through the full range of emotions — I was at first fearful, then confused...

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Intrigued, suspicious and, dare I say, pleasantly surprised?

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You can tell from my dog-like head tilting that I truly had no idea what was going on. I kept trying to taste the pumpkin, but it really didn't sing through. It was sweeter and creamier than before, but that overt pumpkin soup flavour I was fearing never came to pass.

So with yet another of my pointless culinary experiments concluded, my final thoughts are these. Pumpkin spice? Very nice. Pumpkin puree? She can stay.

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I will say, the taste of coffee was pretty much completely taken over, so given my fondness for the beans, it's not the kind of drink I'd like replacing my morning brew. However, as a little treaty every now and then, I could definitely get on board with this. 

Now, I have one final question that I really do need you to answer for me please.