When the air turns crisp, and the leaves start to fall, one flavour combination never fails to make its grand entrance: pumpkin spice. I have no idea why we don’t keep it around throughout the year! But pumpkin spice isn’t just for trendy lattes… it is a versatile blend that, when paired with the right coffee, can elevate your daily brew into something truly magical.

Let me take you on my journey of exploring pumpkin spice, sharing my custom spice blends, and offering tips to make your pumpkin spice latte genuinely unforgettable.

Why Pumpkin Spice Works So Well with Coffee

Pumpkin spice, a carefully crafted blend of warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, is designed to evoke feelings of comfort and nostalgia. Its richness and warmth complement the deep, bold flavours of coffee beautifully. The spices amplify the natural sweetness and nuttiness in the beans, creating a flavour profile that feels indulgent and balanced.

With that being said… I think we can get super wild with some of the spice blends that I will share in a bit, and trust me… they might sound outrageous, but damn, they are good!

But—and I cannot emphasise this enough—the magic is in pairing the proper coffee with the right spice. DO NOT USE PROCESSED COFFEES FOR THIS… coming from someone who almost always drinks crazy, weird, nearly borderline offensive coffees, don’t do it for this one!

The Perfect Pumpkin Spice Blends

After some experimenting, (what a shocker) … I created three unique pumpkin spice blends that anyone can make at home. Each one brings something special to the table, so you can pick the one that best matches your mood… or your coffee. These blends are not just for lattes but also for baking or even sprinkling on oatmeal, adding a touch of adventure to your culinary creations.

1. Classic Pumpkin Spice

This timeless blend is perfect for purists who love traditional flavours. This was not much of my creation, I just adjusted some of the ratios, if you are messing around with it, just make sure to be careful with the amount of cloves you use, it has this mentholy after taste that can over power the whole thing, (even 0.2 of a gram makes a difference… I made these mistakes so you dont have to)

• Cinnamon: 24.4 g
• Nutmeg: 10.3 g
• Ginger: 9.4 g
• Cloves: 5.0 g
• Allspice: 5.3 g

This blend is balanced, warm, and versatile… great for anyone and everyone.

2. Exotic Pumpkin Spice

For those who love a touch of adventure, this blend adds a hint of floral and citrusy notes… here you can even use your fruity coffees, the fact that you don’t have the allspice in here, (which usually fights with the coffee taste) … this blend can work with coffees which are not traditionally caramelly and cinnamony etc. I think you get the gist.

• Cinnamon: 25.2 g
• Cardamom: 9.7 g
• Nutmeg: 5.3 g
• Ginger: 4.9 g
• Cloves: 2.6 g
• Fennel Seeds (ground): 2.3 g

Adding cardamom and fennel creates a sophisticated profile that pairs exceptionally well with lighter coffee roasts or chai-inspired drinks. By the way, that little fennel in there is something else! I also played around with Star-anise, but it was almost impossible to balance!

3. Hammad’s Bold Pumpkin Spice

This is just crazy… yes there is smoked paprika in there… and yes there is black pepper in here aswell!

• Cinnamon: 20.1 g
• Smoked Paprika: 12.4 g
• Nutmeg: 5.7 g
• Ginger: 5.2 g
• Cloves: 2.7 g
• Black Pepper: 2.9 g
• Cocoa Powder: 1.0 g

This blend brings depth and a touch of heat, making it ideal for weirdos like me. The aftertaste is almost like a chocolate-chilli mouse cake. (I guess steaming the milk right also helps here) Now, take the most simple everyday coffee you have, and this will take it to another level! (DO NOT INHALE THIS MIXTURE… your nose will curse you… and no, IT MOST DEFINITELY DID NOT HAPPEN TO ME)

My Tips for the Perfect Pumpkin Spice Latte

Here’s how you can incorporate these blends into your drink. But before all that, please make sure to sieve your spice blends. No one wants a mouth full of grainy stuff, and sieving will keep the blend smooth and refined.

For the Base: Stir in 25 g of pumpkin purée and 2 g of spice blend into the milk pitcher with whatever amount of milk you want to use. I use 140 ml.

Using more than 30 g pumpkin purée makes no difference; less than 15 results in a weaker end product. You want it to taste balanced. Primarily because of the spices, you need that balance.

Milk Magic: Steam the milk with the spice and pumpkin… and here is also where you can incorporate any sweetner of your choice. I used Maple syrup, but it is not needed if you want to keep things simple. For the ratios above which I used (aka 2g of spice and 25 g of pumpkin, you can still get a pretty delish drink with up to 16 g of Maple syrup. (I would not recommend going above it, it just goes a bit funny, but you do you Boo) … this whole combo gives milk this marshmallowy texture and it is just out of this world.

Espresso and Spice: Another option I love is sprinkling the spice blend directly into the cup before pulling the espresso shot. The spices infuse with the coffee, creating a robust flavour profile… However, for some reason, I couldn’t replicate the flavour profile evenly… Sometimes, some spices were more pronounced, and other times, some others. But hey, it might work for you. 

I am not a barista, just a wanna-be dude who likes to do weird shit.

 

So yeah, it is one of the many experiments I like to do with coffee, milk and other drinks. Give some of these a go, and let me know how you find it. And if you guys want me to try something else, put it down here, and I will make it happen.

Peace and Love, always ❣️

Hammad Khan (@chocolatespaceman)