I know it’s crazy, but in the year 2024, I had yet to try a Pumpkin Spice Latte. It wasn’t so much a conscious decision as much as a matter of habit.
I’m not a “Let’s go out for coffee” person. I drink coffee I make myself every morning at home. David, my husband, and I invest in a good quality Italian roast that we buy and have ground in
5 pound bags, as if we owned a restaurant. We like coffee.
Because I have the good fortune of being sensitive to caffeine, which got me through twelve years of nightshift nursing, I stop drinking caffeinated beverages by two in the afternoon. If I don’t, I’m up all night blink, blink, blinking at our bedroom ceiling. So, I don’t meet friends for coffee like other people do, thereby missing a critical opportunity all of these years to try a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
David and I recently scheduled a vacation to celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary. Traveling presented an opportunity to buy a Pumpkin Spice Latte on one of the mornings spent away from home.
We located a Starbucks near our hotel and the following morning I ordered the mythical Fall potion. I took a sip. It was absolutely disgusting. I couldn’t drink it. David didn’t like it either. We threw it away once we got outside, and foraged our morning coffee somewhere else.
I posted about this experience on Facebook and Instagram. Most of my friends commented that they had similar Pumpkin Spice Latte experiences. They also found them undrinkable. I no longer felt I’d missed out on something special all of these years.
There were a few dissenters to this opinion, however, which is why I love my friends. We have our own opinions, and feel safe to discuss them. One friend concocts his own homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte syrup and described its goodness. I’m sure it’s delicious, but he lives in another country-too far away for me to try his creation.
Two other friends were distressed that my PSL opinion was based on a Starbuck product. They exhorted me to try a “real” Pumpkin Spice Latte, which they defined as one made by a local, family owned coffee shop.
“Fair enough,” I thought. I would give it another try.
Last week offered another opportunity to try a “real” Pumpkin Spice Latte.
I had an early morning appointment. I scheduled it first thing in the morning, skipping my homemade morning coffee. It was a misty, chilly fall morning below 40 degrees-perfect for sipping a warm beverage.
After the appointment, I stopped at a local, family-owned coffee shop and ordered a small Pumpkin Spice Latte. I was shocked when the cashier rang up $6.40, and the credit card screen asked if I wanted to leave a tip.
I ordered it to go, taking a moment to appreciate the leaf design the barista created on the foamed milk, before covering it with the plastic lid. I carried it home carefully to share with David.
I placed the expensive PSL on our kitchen counter. I needed a minute to settle in-put my purse and keys away, take off my shoes, before pouring the latte into two mugs. I wanted to show David the foamy leaf, but before I could, he went into the kitchen, and unceremoniously drank from the covered paper cup-he never saw the cute leaf that cost $6.40. He pronounced the PSL terrible, and left for the gym.
Disappointed, I cleared my mind before tasting the “real” Pumpkin Spice Latte. Uncovering the paper cup, I saw David’s sips had destroyed the artistry. I made up for this by pouring the fragrant coffee into my favorite mug. I took a sip and closed my eyes.
It tasted just as bad as the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. There was no significant difference in the flavor. To each their own, but I am not a fan.
I came, I saw, and I am officially done with Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
JParadisi (Retired) RN Blog 