A Better Deal For Pumpkin Spice Coffee

As I recall, about a month or so ago, people were posting about their excitement or resentment that Starbucks would soon put the much acclaimed pumpkin spice latte back on the menu. Really, that was simply a sign...

Personally, I like pumpkin pie, tarts, and other pumpkin-flavored baked paraphernalia. But I have reservations about buying pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. Simply put, it's not cheap or it's not the most economical solution for me. I noticed the other day that a tall pumpkin spice latte at the Starbucks at my work is $4.50! Ok, maybe it's slightly cheaper out in the wild...

$3.95. Plus tax. Delicious choices make for smaller wallets.

Let's do some math. And math is hard, so I kindly ask you to suffer with me as I do math.

If JD (that's me) drinks one cup of coffee a day during the work week...

That's $21.40.  A week. A week. $21.40 a week. For a pumpkin spice latte. I like pumpkin flavored things and as far as coffee goes...what if I don't even want the whipped cream, milk and extra spice because I drink my coffee black?

Ok. So. I need a more economical solution that simply fulfills my requirements of enjoying pumpkin spiced flavored coffee drink without having to spend that much money, and without having to spend money on the extra stuff.

That's when I had a stroke!

...of inspiration!

To brew my own pumpkin spiced coffee!

Luckily, I live in a Catholic world. And living in a Catholic world, there exists the awesomeness that are religious communities of friars, monks, brothers, sisters, nuns, etc.  And sometimes they actually sell stuff they make/grow.

That's where Mystic Monk comes in.

In Wyoming, there's a community of Carmelite monks who have a routine of prayer and manual labor. Part of their manual labor is growing coffee beans, which they sell through Mystic Monk. I've heard lots of good things from Catholic friends and acquaintances about how great their coffee is, so I decided to try them for the first time.

Because...

They have...

THIS

Pumpkin spice coffee beans! From Mystic Monk! (No, they don't sell college mugs or knife sets or paper towel holders with paper towels included...)

ZOMG

I immediately had to bust out my coffee making skills... (in caption narrative)

I'm too lazy to boil water over the stove so....electric kettle...

Just opening the bag and scooping the beans unleashes a tsunami of pumpkin spice aroma that drowns my nostrils!
Wasn't sure if tasting through mouth or through nose

Go go grinder gadget!

Dang, looks so fine

My preferred coffee brewing method--the Aeropress

Funnel it in

Just add the electric kettle'd water and stir the water and grounds...then press...then add more hot water...then boom. A pumpkin spice coffee! (Of course, you could always use other coffee machines and Keurigs, etc)

Best enjoyed while sitting at the table reading Lord of the Rings, I'd say

I'm not high enough of a Coffee Barista level to create lattés, but even then I drink my coffee black.

So how is this a more economical solution than what Starbucks has to offer? If you check out the page for Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee beans at Mystic Monk, you'll see they sell individual 12 ounce bags for $11.95. Plus shipping and handling, that comes to about $18.10 (or at least that's what I paid).

I've had about 5 cups of pumpkin spice coffee and I've used half the bag of beans. Some more hard math:

As you can see, I save about $12 a week by making my own rather than paying for the Starbucks version. Sure, I know it's not a 1-to-1 comparison because Starbucks uses espresso, pumpkin sauce/syrup, spice, whipped cream and steamed milk. Oh and apparently these ingredients contain a ton of sugar, not necessarily organic stuff, and a Class IV Carcinogen?!

Maybe that's why it tastesssss soooo goooodsss

But even if I were to suddenly start making actual lattés, adding milk and whipped cream wouldn't increase my per drink cost that much.

So then, thanks to math, I was able to remind myself why I don't like going to and paying for Starbucks, and I was able to find a better deal. Praise God for coffee-making Carmelite monks in Wyoming!

Now, they do sell a wide array of other things besides pumpkin spice coffee.  Things like normal coffee in the usual roasts, other flavors of coffee, specialty coffees, teas, MONK SHOTS (for the K-cup lovers), coffee storage and making devices, shirts, Catholic religious gifts, and Gregorian chant CDs. AND you can even sign up for coffee subscriptions. Whoa.

If it suits your fancy... head on over to MysticMonkCoffee.com! Banner on the right sidebar or links on this blog post. By going to them via my blog, you'll basically be saying "JD sent me here" and any purchases you make will help the "JD is going to Poland in 2016 for World Youth Day" fund. And I'll be using the extra cash I'm not spending at Starbucks and save it for Poland!

Much appreciation if you do make a purchase through my blog! And either way, you primarily help the monks out so they can continue making great coffee as they pray for us as well as helping out their local community.

Math is hard. But tastes so good.
- JD

Brace Yourself, Pumpkin Spice Everything is Coming // The Sprouting Seed
Jimmy Fallon Ew meme // Reddit-Tumblr