aLightningbug

I’m normally more of a tea drinker, but there are times I really enjoy coffee. And this is the time of year for Pumpkin Spice Lattes! One of many reasons to enjoy autumn. Starbucks and other coffee shops have offered a version of this yummy drink for years. Until recently I’d been, pretty much, oblivious to pumpkin spice flavored coffee creamers. I made some of my own pumpkin spice lattes at home by sprinkling pumpkin pie spice into my coffee along with some sweetener and milk. This works OK, but my proportions are inconsistent and the spices always leave a sludge at the bottom of my cup. I am not fond of sludge even if it’s tasty sludge. So while shopping last week, the Pumpkin Spice Nondairy coffee creamers caught my eye. And now I’ve tried both of the major offerings so I though I’d write a little review.

International Delight Pumpkin Pie Spice, Seasonal Edition, Gourmet Coffee Creamer
This was yummy, but not as strongly spicy as I was expecting. I can taste a good bit of nutmeg which skews the flavor a bit into the eggnog range. I love eggnog, but it isn’t what I normally look for in a pumpkin pie spice. I wanted more cinnamon, ginger, and clove or allspice in the flavor combo to really live the pumpkin pie experience. This one contains palm oil which I generally prefer over anything hydrogenated, so that’s a plus. But to be fair, this creamer contains casein which is a dairy product. So while it’s found in the nondairy creamer section of the store, it isn’t truly nondairy. I’m ok with that part, but if you’re dairy free you might want something else.

Nestlé Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice
This had much more of a pumpkin spice flavor. Possibly a little heavy on the ginger. I could even see how it might have too much spice for a few folks to whom I’d say, “use less if it’s too strong.” But the pumpkin pie spice flavor is there along with the expected sweetness and creaminess of a flavored, nondairy creamer. It was pretty darn yummy. The downside is that it contains hydrogenated or partly hydrogenated oils, and I don’t like that part. I can get over it for the occasional once-in-a-while treat, but would pick something else for a year-round coffee creamer.

Both pumpkin options were basically yummy, added flavor, sweetness, and creaminess to my coffee. Neither one left a spicy sludge at the bottom of my cup. Yay! But both still reminded me of coffee creamer product — not bad, but it might get to me after a while. The consistency of
International Delight Pumpkin Spice was a bit more “natural” than the Coffe-mate if I had to choose. Yet the Coffee-mate had more of a pumpkin pie spice flavor. Both options cost way less per serving than venturing out to Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Overall, will buy again.