Move Over PSL: Pumpkin Spice Chai Has You Beat
Fall is here and the first thing that comes to mind besides the fact that it is “dress like Han Solo season“ is the nastiness that is the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. I am a self-proclaimed Starbucks-a-holic, but last year I tried a sip of my mom’s Pumpkin Spice Latte and proceeded to spit it out.
I think that’s more because I don’t like pumpkin flavored anything. But, then I saw something new on Starbucks’ menu. The drink itself is called a Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte. I was curious, and while my hatred for pumpkin flavors made me wary of trying this, after the fact I have this to say:
Move over PSL, the Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte has you beat.
I learned my lesson about diving into giant (or at least medium sized) versions of beverages I have yet to try, so I made sure to only order a Tall which is a Small on the Starbucks menu.
Right off, you can tell that there is pumpkin in the PSC (my nickname for this lovely beverage), but it is not nearly as overwhelming as a Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Sure, I didn’t add any sugar since I tend not to add sugar into flavored beverages but it was worlds less sweet than the PSL.
Even before I took my first sip, I wondered what the addition of pumpkin would do to such a wonderful blend of spices within chai. To be very honest, I was worried I would end up with a super cinnamon-flavored drink.
While the beverage does have something of a redundant name since ‘chai’ is the word for tea in many parts of the world, the varying spice mixture paired well with the pumpkin flavor. No one spice dominated over the others and that might have masked the pumpkin flavor in the drink. But, I’m not complaining.
While chai spices do vary based on the region that chai comes from, Starbucks outlined the spices in their chai mixture, which is a black tea that is being used in the PSC. Those spices are black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves … [and] star anise.
I am glad that I tried the PSC despite my previous dislike of pumpkin spice and pumpkin flavors on the Starbucks menu. Dare I say, I’ve found my new fall favorite Starbucks drink.
Even those who actually enjoy pumpkin flavors and might adore the Pumpkin Spice Latte should give the Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte a chance.