{"id":15466,"date":"2013-10-07T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-10-07T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/?p=15466"},"modified":"2023-09-04T21:38:53","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T07:38:53","slug":"review-mcdonalds-mccafe-pumpkin-spice-latte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2013\/10\/07\/review-mcdonalds-mccafe-pumpkin-spice-latte\/","title":{"rendered":"REVIEW: McDonald\u2019s McCaf\u00e9\u00a0Pumpkin Spice Latte"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"McDonald\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

I love Halloween, but it stresses me out. Most people get apprehensive about Thanksgiving and all the year-end religious holidays because they often involve family and gift-giving. <\/p>\n

I get stressed out by Halloween because it ushers in that massive three-month-long wave of seasonal goodies that are only available FOR A LIMITED TIME \u2013 so already I\u2019m rushing around frantically trying to grab them before they\u2019re gone. <\/p>\n

To make matters worse, October and November specialize in one particular ingredient that can be found in just about everything you can buy: Cookies, crackers, potato chips, drinks, ice cream, nuts, pastries, popcorn, waffles, yogurt, condiments, bread, hand soap, and even air freshener. It\u2019s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers<\/i>, except instead of pod people, it\u2019s pumpkin spice! I call it THE PUMPKINING. And as a sucker for seasonal gourds, I fall for it every time. (Get it? Fall? Thanks, I\u2019ll be here all week. Tip your servers!)<\/p>\n

McDonald\u2019s is no stranger to THE PUMPKINING, having already introduced a most reasonable pumpkin pie<\/a> a few years ago. But it never offered the second most reasonable pumpkin venture to go along with that pastry \u2013- a pumpkin-flavored hot drink.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s why I got really excited when I saw McDonald\u2019s had introduced its own pumpkin-flavored coffee for the season — the McCaf\u00e9\u00a0Pumpkin Spice Latte.<\/p>\n

Wondering what exactly constitutes “pumpkin spice?” Nutmeg? Vanilla? Cinnamon? All of the above?<\/p>\n

In the case of McDonalds\u2019 new McCaf\u00e9\u00a0Pumpkin Spice Latte, it seems to be 1) cinnamon, 2) vanilla, and 3) a metric shit-ton of sweet flavored powder. Seriously, it\u2019s like 70 percent sugar, 20 percent milk, and 10 percent espresso. It was like getting punched in the mouth by a “pumpkin.” And yes, I used those quotation marks on purpose. This isn\u2019t how real pumpkin tastes\u2026 and having been a connoisseur of pumpkin pie for decades, I also feel this isn\u2019t how real pumpkin pie tastes, either.<\/p>\n

I was unable to verify whether this latte came straight from a powder mix, but it reminded me of the flavored instant coffee I would buy from QuikTrip back in the \u201890s. And that stuff was so full of sugar it might as well have come with a free blood sugar meter and a warning label with Wilfred Brimley\u2019s face on it. <\/p>\n

The McCaf\u00e9\u00a0Pumpkin Spice Latte was so sweet that you didn\u2019t need to add sweetener. That\u2019s probably why it doesn\u2019t come with whipped cream. If there had been, I\u2019d surely be writing this review with the help of an intelligent machine transcribing my subconscious thoughts from deep within my diabetic coma.<\/p>\n

\"McDonald\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

I tried both the hot and iced versions, mostly by accident. During my first visit to my local McDonald\u2019s, I was forced to order my McCaf\u00e9\u00a0Pumpkin Spice Latte with ice because (quote) \u201cThe hot machine [was] out of order.\u201d No biggie. Here in Southern California, it\u2019s still 80 degrees and may quite possibly stay that way until January, so a frosty drink is A-OK.<\/p>\n

Later, I got the hot version, and my taste buds were met by the familiar creamy sweetness and a thick, slightly grainy texture that was vaguely reminiscent of hot chocolate mix. It was all right. While, I can\u2019t exactly say I hated my iced Pumpkin Spice Latte in comparison to the hot one, I would say it wasn\u2019t really refreshing. The iced Pumpkin Spice Latte was creamy and cold and full of sweetness, but after a few minutes, the milk, the sugar, and the caffeine starting swirling together into a maelstrom of nausea, and I began to seriously reconsider my life choices.<\/p>\n

Was all this barfy agita worth it? Well, the price is good, especially when compared to the $3.95 price tag of a 12-ounce Starbucks Pumpkin Latte. With the change I\u2019d spare, I could afford to go full-throttle and load up on all the pumpkin English muffins, pumpkin yogurt, and pumpkin-scented shampoo that will hang around until Thanksgiving only to be swiftly replaced by Peppermint- and Snowman-flavored everything. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll call that THE DECEMBERING.<\/p>\n

(Nutrition Facts \u2013 Small size (12 fluid ounces) – With Whole Milk<\/b> \u2013 270 calories, 9 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein. With Nonfat Milk<\/b> \u2013 200 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 125 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 39 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.)<\/small><\/p>\n

Item:<\/b> McDonald\u2019s McCaf\u00e9\u00a0Pumpkin Spice Latte
\nPurchased Price:<\/b> $2.39
\nSize:<\/b> Small (12 oz.)
\nPurchased at:<\/b> McDonald’s
\nRating:<\/b> 5 out of 10
\nPros:<\/b> THE PUMPKINING. Does not skimp on sweetness. Competitive price. Seasonal gourds.
\nCons:<\/b> Getting punched in the mouth. Diabeetus. Slightly grainy mixed powder texture. “Pumpkin” flavor. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love Halloween, but it stresses me out. Most people get apprehensive about Thanksgiving and all the year-end religious holidays because they often involve family and gift-giving. I get stressed out by Halloween because it ushers in that massive three-month-long wave of seasonal goodies that are only available FOR A LIMITED TIME \u2013 so already […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1440],"tags":[1477,1481],"class_list":["post-15466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","tag-fast-food","tag-mcdonalds"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20775,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/10\/29\/weekend-reading-10292016\/","url_meta":{"origin":15466,"position":0},"title":"WEEKEND READING – 10\/29\/2016","author":"Marvo","date":"October 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are a few interesting junk food-related stories from the past week or so. 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