It is officially pumpkin spice latte season. You may wonder why now, especially since this famous drink is ideally perfect for winter. But here's the reason.
The latte usually marks the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the southern hemisphere. It's also close to Halloween, which the popular beverage is synonymous with.
However, in SA we can make it perfect for the season by making an iced pumpkin spice latte.
Below we will look into the history of the (iced) pumpkin spice latte and how you can make the famous drink at the comfort of your own home.
Looking at the history, when the pumpkin spice latte was invented, its creator had no idea that it would become a worldwide phenomenon.
According to Starbucks’ Peter Dukes, director of espresso Americas for Starbucks, was the product manager who led the development of Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The company said that the team had successfully developed the recipes for festive season favourites Eggnog Latte and Peppermint Mocha, and were looking for a new beverage to add to their autumn espresso line-up.
The team brought in kitschy decorations and pumpkin pies and began to explore ideas for a pumpkin-inspired espresso beverage, and they would sample a forkful of pumpkin pie, followed by a sip of hot espresso – teasing out which flavours from the pie best complemented the coffee.
The company also reveals that the team soon received the go-ahead from senior leaders to work on a prototype, and for the next three months tasted and re-tasted different versions of the beverage.
They settled on a recipe that used pumpkin spice sauce with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg – handcrafted with espresso and steamed milk – and topped off with whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie topping.
Starbucks also said the drink can be customised with a variety of alternative kinds of milk, including a vegan option.
Here’s a recipe that you need to make at home right now.
Ingredients
2 tbsp organic pumpkin puree
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ - 1 tsp maple syrup
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 shots espresso or coffee
Method
Mix the pumpkin purée, vanilla and maple in a little bit of hot water.
Add two shots of espresso or coffee.
Top with frothed milk and pumpkin pie spice.