Millstone Special Blend Seasonals: Pumpkin Spice Review
The Drink: Millstone Special Blend Seasonals: Pumpkin Spice
Type: Arabica Ground, regular old coffee from grocery store!
Overall Rating: 2.75 Out Of 5 Coffee Mugs
While wandering around Super Wal-Mart, alone, in the middle of Football Sunday Funday, I remembered I was in need of coffee and creamer big time! I was just going to grab the same Creme Brulee blend I had been drinking for the last month because it’s been super yummy. Then, from the sea of blah coffee bags rose, a gold and red shiney bag with a picture of a pumpkin pie on the front!
Gasp! Fall is here! It’s time for Pumpkin everywhere!
I swear it glowed in the store.
I debated for a minute. The bag was $10 and while I like pumpkin flavored everything to eat, I’m not always a fan of it to drink. Pumpkin Flavored things to drink tend to be over spiced, and under pumpkined (exceptions: Pumpkin Lattes & Chais from Starbucks) But since it was my first indulgence of fall, I figured why not!
Today was my first morning off and I thought it would be the perfect time to sit back and enjoy the delicious brew and have my house filled with the scents of the season.
I eagerly tore open the bag to get my first wiff.
I was definitely a little surprised–and disappointed– by the smell. Didn’t even get a hint of pumpkin. It smells like the Iced Oatmeal Cookies that my dad adores. They have a slight spice scent to them, but very bland and not at all remniscent of fall. I’m sure part of it was because it was ground coffee, not beans but my Creme Brulee and Coconut Macaroon ground blends smelled heavenly so I was definitely let down by this one.
But off to brew it went. I waited, hoping that somehow the scents of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg would fill my house.
But the coffee finished brewing and I sat still waiting for the scent…. Finally I stuck my nose practically in the pot and was able to smell the blend. It sure smelled spicey, but not so much pumpkin, which is what I was really looking for.
I threw some sugar in, but skipped the flavored creamer since this was supposed to be a tasting. It tasted like burnt pumpkin pie. Which, needless to elaborate on, is not a good taste. In the coffee’s defense, anyone who knows me knows I make horrible coffee. I don’t know why, I just do. Even with the gourmet blends that Mike has shared with me. But the last 2 months my creme brulee cheapo coffee has been tasting mighty good so I was shocked to have returned to the bad cup again.
I let the coffee cool a minute and threw a splash of cream in it, hoping to mask the burnt spice taste and it helped. I could finally taste the layers of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. There was even a hint of vanilla. The pumpkin taste was subtle; it was definitely more about the spices.
All in all, the coffee is so-so. It definitely needed the cream to help it along. Kinda like pumpkin pie with it’s essential dollop of ice or whipped cream. They go hand-in-hand and without it the pie just isn’t complete.
As the coffee cooled, it definitely grew on me. In fact, now I’m actually almost enjoying it. I’m going to give it another try, and maybe ask someone else to brew it for me! If it stays like this, I’ll definitely be calling the number on the bag because they boasted: “We think you’ve never had a coffee this aromatic, this delicious. If for any reason you are not satisfied fully, please call. ”
Um. I’ve had gas station coffee more aromatic and delicious than this!
If anyone has any good Pumpkin Spice or other Fall Flavored Coffee recommendations I would love to hear them! Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and I’ve been looking for a good brew-at-home coffee for years!
Until then, it’s off to Starbucks for my Pumpkin Spiced Chai!
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Category: Coffee Reviews
About the Author (Author Profile)
Both Jennifer Taglione and her website Stiletto Sports, run on coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Well, maybe not lots. She can run all day on just 3 cups. Jennifer became addicted to coffee at the early age of about 4 or 5 when she would beg her mom to put a few teaspoons of coffee in her milk (because that what she thought mommy was drinking too and didn't want to be left out). As she grew up and had to get up earlier and earlier for class and then work, coffee became a necessity in her life. But make no mistake, Jennifer is a coffee-needer, not a coffee-lover or even liker. She needs coffee to survive and if she doesn't get her morning fix, don't bother talking to her all day! She rarely drinks it for the pure pleasure of drinking it. Mostly because if she has caffeine anytime after 4 p.m. she will be awake until 4 a.m. She likes her coffee to taste nothing like coffee. Flavored coffees and creamers are her specialty. And she prefers Dunkin Donuts over Starbucks any day, except in Peppermint Mocha season.Subscribe
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Jennifer… unless i completely misread this
review, it seems to me you had to wrestle
the darn flavor out of this blend.
after doing God knows what to this
coffee, you could finally taste the special
effects. i’m not sure i have that much
patience or get-n-go in the morning.
this might be a give me a day to taste it
blend of coffee.
by the way Starbucks has had some pretty
flavorful pumpkin spice cake the last month
and a half. my girl loves it.
i get the crumbs left in the bag after she
vacuums them.
Everytime I go to Starbucks I am tempted by the Pumpkin Spiced Chai, but I always bottle out and for the usual (I go in there so often they know what it is!).
I so don’t want to be disappointed with the drink, and am too tight to buy something different if I don’t like it!
So – what does it taste like then?
@howard: It definitely did feel like a losing battle! Sad when you are brewing pumpkin coffee but have to light a pumpkin candle to make the house smell like fall
however….. it’s growing on me. It’s a 100xs better after it cools. I won’t buy it again, but I’ll try to make the most out of this one!
@andrew– DO IT!!!! Their pumkin spice lattes and chais are delicious!
Chai lattes feel a lot lighter on the system then coffee. And they tend to be more flavor infused because they are blended with so many spices, and then the pumkin is layered on top of that.
I can drink a chai and not be awake all night long even though there is some caffeine in it, which is great for me because if I even smell coffee after 5pm I’m usually up till 2am.
If you like pumpkin flavored drinks it’s definitely a must-try. And I’m so not a starbucks girl so for me to say that, it’s gotta be good!
Enjoy and thanks for the feedback!
Jennifer, I tried Millstone Pumpkin Spice coffee for the first time today and also thought that it was very light, in both aroma and flavor. I can’t be too upset though, I got it free at Walmart! The Millstone rep was in the store offering free samples of coffee beans that he was grinding up fresh, so I chose the Pumpkin Spice since it is Fall! Have you tried any other brands that have a stronger flavor? I too had to add sugar, and I added coffee mate original powder creamer and it was actually pretty good, just too light!!