Friday, September 17, 2010

How to: Pumpkin Spice Latte

Alright, my friends: here it is, the most-requested recipe!

The Pumpkin Spice Latte


So, the truth? 

I have never made one of these drinks in a coffee house. We didn't do the pumpkin thing--we did the eggnog thing (which I thought tasted disgusting.) 

However, I've done some digging around, and coupled with my basic knowledge of lattes/mocha, I've come up with what I think will be a reasonable facsimile of this drink.

But you'll have to taste it for me: I hate pumpkin! 

Although this drink is considered a latte, from what I've gathered, it's actually made more along the lines of a mocha--the difference is in the sauce. Literally. From what I read, the secret to this drink is that they actually use a sauce versus a syrup. 

Mochas are made with sauce. 
Lattes are made with syrup. 

This is why mochas taste richer, and have more calories. :) 

So, I did some Amazon-ing, and I found a pumpkin spice sauce. This is the Torani brand again, but you can just search "pumpkin spice sauce" and find plenty of hits. 

The foundation of this drink is identical to all lattes (going with 12 oz proportions again): 
Edit: my lovely friend and former barista has informed me that the Buck used 3 pumps of the sauce in the 12 oz drink! Holy sugar overload, Batman! I'd probably still go with 1 pump, myself, but experiment as you see fit! 

1 shot espresso 
1 pump pumpkin spice sauce
(rec) 1 or 1/2 pump vanilla syrup (depending on how sweet you want it) 
steamed milk 
whipped cream
pumpkin pie spice (which I'm pretty sure you can buy in the grocery store) 

The proper layering technique for a latte is syrup and sauce, then espresso, then milk. I would have your milk nice and hot before you pull the espresso shot--espresso has an extremely short half-life, if you will. The less time between the machine and your stomach, the better. 

I think this goes without saying, but just to be on the safe side...you do want to stir after you add the milk and before you top. 

There is such a thing as pumpkin spice syrup, but I don't think it will taste the same. 

Remember, you go up by one pump per 4 oz; 2 shots of espresso for 16 oz; 3 shots for 20oz. Or more. Depending on how strong you'd like it. :) 


A note on whipped cream: the stuff most coffee shops use is not your store-bought stuff. We use heavy whipping cream, vanilla syrup and N2O and make it fresh. That's why it's so awesome. :) 

If you make this drink, please let me know how it turns out! 

16 comments:

Jules said...

WOW, this is better than starbucks and cheaper too :)
Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

Karen Jones Gowen said...

I don't drink coffee or frequent the coffee shops, altho I do have a latte maker at home which I use for flavored lattes sans coffee. I enjoyed reading your inside look at how to make the real stuff-- rich, earthy and piled with whipped cream.

JE said...

I don't so coffee or anything, and I'm not crazy about drinks that taste like food--but this post totally made me want to eat a pumpkin pie!

~JD

Christine Danek said...

Can the syrup be used for other drinks? I like the recipe for the whipped cream. Yum!

Sarah Ahiers said...

...how can you hate pumpkin?
...what about pumkpin incense?

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Appropriate for this time of year!

Meredith said...

Yay! I'll have to try this--my fave. Thanks for giving us the recipe!

VICTORIA SAAVEDRA said...

I tried it! And it tasted fabulous!!! I was so excited to see the pumpkin spice latte--my favorite!

amanda h. said...

oh how i miss our barista days. i almost went to borders yesterday... maybe i'll go today :)

when i worked at starbucks in my auburn days, we actually like three pumps of the sauce in the 12oz. maybe two... doesn't that make you wanna vomit? in the venti there were at least five... that's why it tastes so wild at starbucks. i always ask them to "go easy" on the sauce. and theirs is already so sweet we didn't add any extra syrup. i bet the vanilla addition would be awesome with the pumpkin spice powder... yum.

Hannah said...

I lurve pumpkin but the pumpkin spice latte is disgusting, IMO. Oh wells. I love everything else that's made with pumpkin though, pumpkin bread, pie, muffins, bundt cake, cheesecake! OMG, pumpkin cheesecake is the best!

Old Kitty said...

Well this is definitely something very new! I've never heard of this drink and will go to my nearest costa and ask them why pumpkin spice latte isn't on the menu! :-)

Take care
x

DL Hammons said...

*Looks at screen...then at mug which is half full with luke warm bland coffee...to which I say*

"You SUCK!!"

The Words Crafter said...

Mmmmm, thanks for taking the time to find out how to make this! I can't wait to go out and get the ingredients and try this...yummmmmm!!!!

Unknown said...

I tried one of Starbuck's Pumpkin coffee specials last Fall. I thought it was delicious. Actually, any flavor that brings coffee and cinnamon together is good in my book!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Jemi Fraser said...

I don't do pumpkin either - but I have some family members who will love this! :)

Unknown said...

Who doesn't love a surgary overload explosion! I'm not much of a coffee drinker but I do love me some pumpkin pie and some egg nog! Bring on the holidays!