Autumn is fast approaching - and with it come seasonal menu changes for some of the UK’s favourite stores and coffee shops. One item that many coffee fans look forward to at this time of the year is the pumpkin spice latte .
The drink is most commonly associated with Starbucks , which first offered it almost 20 years ago - in 2003. It is made with a mix of traditional autumn spice flavours - cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove - steamed milk and sugar, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
Starbucks developed it following the success of winter seasonal drinks such as the eggnog latte. The company tried different combinations of pumpkin and spice, before initially deciding on a recipe with no pumpkin in it. In 2015, however, pumpkin puree was added to the ingredients.
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The pumpkin spice latte became the company’s most popular seasonal drink, with more than 200 million sold between its 2003 introduction and 2015. The drink started a trend of pumpkin spice products, such as candles and air fresheners, as well as leading to other brands producing a version of their own.
With the whipped cream topping and sugary pumpkin sauce, the drink is a bit of a treat. Here’s how the Starbucks version compares nutritionally to those by Greggs and Pret.
Starbucks
A grande pumpkin spice latte with two shots of signature espresso, semi-skimmed milk, pumpkin spice topping, whipped cream and the standard four shots of pumpkin spice sauce contains 347 calories, 15.5g of fat, 12g of saturated fat and 39.3g of sugar. A grande serving is 16oz - which is around 470ml.
Greggs
Greggs’ version of the drink contains a double shot of espresso, steamed milk and sweet pumpkin spice flavour syrup - finished off with a ‘whipping of cream and a sprinkle of spiced sugar’. A large pumpkin spice latte - which is 418.5ml - contains 239 calories, 8.19 fat, 5.3g saturated fat and 28g of sugar.
Pret
Pret’s version of the drink sees pumpkin spice syrup added to the brand’s classic latte to ‘create a warming, seasonal treat’. It is served as a 12oz drink (around 355ml) and contains 167 calories, 4.3g of fat, 2.7g of saturated fat and 23.4g of sugar.
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