'I Made a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Home and It Tasted Better Than Starbucks'

October is best known for trick-or-treating, fancy dress and all things spooky. But for coffee lovers, it also means the end of the much-loved pumpkin spice season.

The pumpkin spice latte is a coffee made with a mix of traditional fall-inspired flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg and clove), steamed milk, espresso and often sugar—topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.

The spice blend has been part of the American baking tradition for hundreds of years. In fact, there is a "pompkin" pie recipe in Amelia Simmons' 1798 cookbook American Cookery.

While it's unknown who was the first person to add pumpkin spice to a latte, the Starbucks employee credited is Peter Dukes, the then-director of espresso whose team created other seasonal drinks like the eggnog latte and peppermint mocha.

However, the pumpkin spice latte has never been on the top of my 'to try' list until now. Growing up in the U.K., pumpkin spice was unheard of. But over the past few years, it has become more and more popular. So I, a self-proclaimed coffee addict, headed out to the nearest Starbucks to give one a whirl for the first time.

After a little look at the menu when I arrived at my local store, I was shocked to discover this drink has just 35 calories less than a McDonald's cheeseburger.

And I was even more surprised to find out that this beverage hasn't got any fresh pumpkin—or even pumpkin syrup—in it.

As I had never tasted pumpkin before, I really did not know what to expect. I was glad that I didn't put any extra sugar in the coffee as it was extremely sweet. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed it and was sad to find out it's only available during the fall since it would be a great winter warmer during the holidays.

Making a Pumpkin Spice Latte From Scratch

After my first pumpkin latte, I felt inspired to make my own. I wanted to see what real pumpkin would taste like in a coffee, and whether or not I could make it taste better and cost less.

After a quick Google search, I went to the shop to buy grounded cinnamon, clove and ginger along with a small bottle of vanilla extract and a tiny pumpkin. There was no need to buy milk, instant coffee, sugar and nutmeg as I had already had them at home.

In total, I spent £4.25 ($4.83), which is more than a single coffee at Starbucks. I only needed a pinch of each spice, which costs 1p (1 cent), and 236ml of milk worth approximately 36p (41 cents).

Therefore, the real cost of the homemade latte was about £1.23 ($1.40), which is almost 70 percent cheaper.

The Method

I began by preheating the oven to 180°C and cutting the pumpkin in half. I scooped out the seeds and placed each side on the baking tray before covering them with oil.

I pierced the skin with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking. The method I was following suggested 40 to 50 minutes in the oven, but this palm-sized pumpkin only require 25 minutes.

Once it was cooled, I used a potato masher since there wasn't enough pumpkin to go in a blender. I added a few drops of water to make the puree smoother.

I then placed the milk, pumpkin puree and sugar into a saucepan and left it on low heat before adding the other ingredients.

Once it was hot, I poured it into a glass. At first, I can't say I was excited to try it as it didn't look the same as the Starbucks latte.

The milk was hot but flat because I didnt't have access to a steamer, so it wasn't frothy at all. But to my surprise, it was very enjoyable. I would go as far as to say that I enjoyed it more.

However, the pumpkin puree was left at the bottom. I'm not sure if this would occur if I had used a blender. I think next time I would blend and then push the pumpkin through a sieve to make sure the particles are even smaller.

I added 30ml of coffee, which is much less than the two espresso shots in a Starbucks one. It may explain why I found my homemade latte to be more pleasant.

The Verdict: Starbucks or Homemade?

I would be lying if I said I will be making another homemade pumpkin latte, as it took over an hour to make. This includes buying the ingredients, driving home, and waiting for the pumpkin in the oven. In my opinion, this is far too long for a coffee and I wasn't blown away enough to put in that much effort for a drink.

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