The oversees caffeine giant strikes again with an American twist on a festive tradition.
Ah STARBUCKS™, you are sometimes so wonderful…
For weeks now Americans have been bombarding the internet with pumpkins. Treats of all kinds have been appearing here-and-there because of Thanksgiving and Halloween but mainly they’ve been boasting about the latest pumpkin-flavoured creation to be adapted to a coffee or iced treat.
And I can now officially announce that as of 29th September, the splendour has officially been shared with the UK!
But that’s not all. So curious was I and so impatient to experience the bizarre wonder myself, I took it as a personal challenge to acquire it the day the offer appeared in my Facebook feed – Friday 28th. For this mission I recruited one enthusiastic compatriot, one reluctant companion and two students with nothing better to do. One of whom was lost on the way there. A fleet of four it was to be.
And I succeeded. Though the offer was technically not due to start until Saturday 29th September, I took the initiative and just asked nicely, actually. The guy behind the counter looked impressed I even knew about it.
Therefore, I was able to enjoy one of the UK’s first ever STARBUCKS™ Pumpkin Spiced Lattes! The coffee was so exclusive in the UK that when I asked for it the website hadn’t even updated the inclusion of it on their menu.
Sadly, the offer is exclusive to lattes only. This is especially disappointing as I know the pumpkin flavour is available across the full range of coffees in America. The only variation seems to be if you want whipped cream or not, as well as it only being available for a month. It being a Halloween promotion and all that.
Onto the taste test.
I’m not an expert on pumpkins, to the point where I actually have no idea what they taste like. However, I can tell you this. It. Is. TASTY. It’s so good! So good in fact, that far from tolerating the addition of milk in my coffee to experience this phenomenon (milky coffees usually gives me headaches), I actually enjoyed it. So good in fact, I almost bought another one! Speciality lattes are often bearable because there is another flavour to dominate, and damn this one was good.
The flavouring was a little bit spicy – not like chilli, more like ginger or cinnamon – and when added to the light, whipped cream it gave the coffee sweetness I hadn’t expected. I’d anticipated something heavier and bitter, more akin to the headily scented, dense-tasting coffee you might be served from a questionable festive vendor in a Styrofoam cup. Either that or something very mild and savoury like a non-citrus cheesecake in coffee form with an almost tea-like consistency… if that’s even possible. Never did I expect just how sweet it would be! The foam was light, the texture smooth, the aroma light and wafting.
In a word: it was delicious.
In all honesty, this is probably something of a girly drink taste-wise. However, I would strongly recommend this particular speciality to everyone.
Even if it doesn’t get you in a Halloween mood (something this sweet and scrumptious could never incite fear into anyone expect a lactose intolerant), it will certainly give you a festive buzz.
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