The truth about pumpkin spice lattes, and where to find them and other autumnal treats around Weld County
Enjoy the taste of cinnamon rolls in a hot cinnamon latte while indulging in a house made, thickly iced cinnamon roll perfect for finger licking at Your Place Coffee in Greeley. Photo courtesy of Mikayla Buckles for Your Place Coffee.
By Emily Kemme
The world has turned and we’ve again hurdled several near-autumnal milestones, including the return to school, the last official three-day holiday of summer and the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte. All this during a heat wave of record proportions.
It’s a bit of an enigma: all the (real) pumpkins are still in their teenage growth stages. Pale gold with orange striations — they are not yet as robustly orange as they’ll be at maturity — yet coffee shops, grocery stores and bakeries have nevertheless announced pumpkin spice season is upon us.
Maybe the heat is making me cranky, but — spoiler alert — there is no such thing as naturally occurring pumpkin spice.
Pumpkins are squash, one of many varieties of fruits grown by Native Americans and introduced to English colonists at their second Thanksgiving dinner in 1623, according to John F. Mariani in “The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink.”
The fruit grows on a trailing vine and has tough orange flesh that can be baked, roasted or stewed into edibility. To make them taste sweet, a dab of butter and a sprinkle of brown sugar will do.
Pumpkins, as squash, do not grow infused with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, mace and nutmeg.
Yes, it’s true that some combination of those spices have traditionally been used to flavor pumpkin pie by bakers since the late 1700s. By the 1930s, spice companies bottled them together for easier use.
These spices are considered “warm spices” because of their deep aroma and strong taste. The class also includes mustard, cayenne and cumin, which aren’t typical latte flavors.
Pumpkin spice lattes — known as “PSL’s” — splashed on the scene in August 2003, thanks to Starbucks’ innovation.
To taste these warming spices associated with autumn’s arrival, it’s best to order a latte with a glug of warming spice syrup or sprinkle the spices into unsweetened pumpkin purée — which, if you’ve ever sampled it un-spiced, tastes like a sweet potato.
Windsor Lake Coffee spreads thick cut marble rye bread with cream cheese, pumpkin butter, chopped pecans and a sprinkle of maple sugar for a delectable, vegan fall treat. Photo courtesy of Windsor Lake Coffee.
That’s how Claire Brogden makes her pumpkin butter at Windsor Lake Coffee, 430 Main St., Windsor. She combines pumpkin purée with vanilla, spices and brown sugar to create a vegan butter for pumpkin lattes, mochas, chais and even pumpkin toast — thick cut marble rye bread spread with cream cheese, pumpkin butter, chopped pecans and a sprinkle of maple sugar.
She’s been concocting pumpkin butter for three years, along with decorating the coffee shop each September with a Harry Potter theme.
But there are many harvest-time, autumnal flavors that get pushed aside by pumpkin spice this time of year, including cinnamon, butterscotch and maple syrup. And don’t forget crisp, crunchy apples coated in creamy caramel.
In addition to pumpkin-y treats, Brodgen conjures up Butterbeer served hot as cocoa with toasted marshmallows and white chocolate or frozen and blended with a dollop of mallow fluff on top.
If you’re wondering if Butterbeer is made from alcohol and butter, it’s not. In the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks, it’s butterscotch soda, although Brodgen believes the drink in the J.K.Rowling book series is alcoholic — like cider with a butterscotch profile and served warm in big mugs. Windsor Lake’s version isn’t alcoholic, and their pumpkin juice smoothie with apple cider, pumpkin butter, mango smoothie mix and spices isn’t either.
To help make your selection, this year let a talking sorting hat play a part. For those (muggles) who have no idea what a sorting hat is, let’s just say it can help you decide which fall-themed drink — like the Lavender Brown Cold Brew or Cedric Cider — would be the best choice for you.
Windsor Lake Coffee spreads thick cut marble rye bread with cream cheese, pumpkin butter, chopped pecans and a sprinkle of maple sugar for a delectable, vegan fall treat. Photo courtesy of Windsor Lake Coffee.
Windsor Lake offers a wide selection of wizarding world cakes, too, including golden snitch cupcakes, and an entire trolley’s worth of ice cream sundaes.
At Your Place Coffee, 2308 W. 17th St., Greeley, a comfy shop in Cottonwood Square with plenty of room for sitting and chatting with friends, you can enjoy the taste of cinnamon rolls in a hot latte, iced coffee or frappuccino, while indulging in a house-made, thickly iced cinnamon roll perfect for finger-licking.
If pressed for time, scoot through Scooters drive-thru, 2530 11th Ave., Greeley for a maple vanilla latte or maple spice cold foam and imagine you’re crunching through fallen leaves in Vermont. If fall reminds you of caramel apples, order a pumpkin Caramelicious, a blend of the best of everything that’s autumn, including a drizzle of caramel atop whipped cream. Pair your drink with a caramel apple mini loaf or pumpkin Caramelicious muffin.
And at Ziggi’s Coffee, a Colorado-based company since 2004 with drive thrus scattered across the country, double up on pumpkin pie lattes or spicy pumpkin chai and a choice of chocolate chip or gluten-free pumpkin breads for a moist, seasonal treat. Watching your waistline? Get a bite of fall with a cinnamon roll cake pop coated in cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with sugar crystals.
We’ve gotten a running start inundating our taste buds with plenty of pumpkin spice options. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, there’s a chance we’ll push away our plates at an offer of pumpkin pie and tell our hosts, “No thanks, I’m full.”