So Pumpkin Spice is rolling out across the land. As for myself, I do not find this to be a ritual of epic and religious proportions like a lot of people. I’m much more on the Sam Adams OctoberFest wagon myself. But I mean…yeah, pumpkin spice. I mean…it’s okay.
Starbucks, the grand temple of pumpkin spice, appears to have their PSL stuff returning August 30th. But as years have rolled on, more and more companies have joined the crusade. Specifically, Krispy Kreme dropped their own array of pumpkin space-laced goodies and one item caught my attention. See if you can figure out which part of their description of the Pumpkin Spice Latte Swirl donut piqued my interest: A Pumpkin Spice doughnut dipped in a pumpkin spice and sugar blend, swirled with vanilla and coffee buttercream.
Did you guess “coffee buttercream”? Well, that’s two points to you. Though in all honesty, pretty much any kind of buttercream will have my attention.
So I grabbed two of those and one of the simple Pumpkin Spice Glazed regular donuts to do a taste test in the name of Science. Here’s what I found.
First up, the PSL Swirl donut. I was surprised to see it was a regular cake donut and not glazed. Krispy Kreme are not known for restraint when it comes to glazing things.
They’ve even glazed their coffee, apparently. Which is just wrong.
Anyway, take a bite and it becomes apparent why there’s no glaze on the donut. After the initial pumpkin spice/sugar coating hits your palate (and I mean smacks it, albeit in a “love tap” kind of way), the vanilla and coffee buttercreams attack from the side and BAM your mouth has been completely sugared.
This is not unpleasant, it’s just a bit overwhelming. I usually don’t have an issue when I’m overwhelmed with sugar, it’s just that the two tastes (donut vs. buttercreams) seem to be fighting each other. I’d be happy with the pumpkin spice donut by itself, and then put the dueling buttercreams on something else. Hell, here’s an idea: give me regular cake donut strips and a small thing of buttercream to dip them in and I’m good for a few hours. Together, the donuts and buttercreams are okay. But they are intense, so do be warned. If you are an adherent to the PSL religion, this might be right up your alley. I cannot say.
The Pumpkin Spice Glazed is…exactly what it says on the tin. They added some of the spice to the regular glaze and glazed a donut. Again, pumpkin spice maniacs will probably love it. Me, it just left me craving a regular glazed donut. To be fair, though, that’s most days.
This has all been lovely, but now my beard smells like pumpkin spice. Argh.
