With Halloween just around the corner, the coffee-pumpkin combo has become a must in many coffee shops. Thanks to the popularity of Pumpkin Spice, a mix of cloves, cardamom and cinnamon that accompanies pumpkin in coffee and milk drinks. Originating in the U.S., it has over the years become a reality in Italy as well, even for quick home consumption in the form of pods and capsules. A trend that has pioneered recipes featuring other fruits typical of this time of year, such as apples, chestnuts and hazelnuts, but also spices such as licorice, star anise and black sesame. Or even bananas and peanut butter, for a drink that can recreate, in just a few sips, the taste of pancakes.
The best way to pair them with coffee? Extracting their scents, aromas and flavors in a syrup prepared with water and sugar, thus replicable even in the home kitchen. In addition to allowing easier mixing, syrups are also ideal for recreating, in the cup or glass, the typical shades of color of this season: from the red and brown of falling leaves to the gray and black characteristic of spooky Halloween decorations. Not all coffees are the same, especially when it comes to mixing them with other ingredients and especially those with such distinctive flavors as fall. This is why it is advisable to go for an Arabica variety with medium roast, which can emphasize sweet and sour. In these recipes, both espresso and mocha brewed coffee are ideal, aiming for specific roasts for this type of extraction. For those who like to carefully select the raw material, even for home consumption, the Catuai variety from Honduras and Bourbon from Central and South America are particularly recommended. Francesco Sanapo, an award-winning champion barista and taster and member of the Coffee Promotion Consortium, works to promote and spread the culture of coffee in the name of excellence and craftsmanship. For these first days of autumn, he has signed some signature recipes where coffee meets autumn flavors, ideal for a special Sunday breakfast, for a mouth-watering break that can warm up a rainy day or to end a meal in a different way than usual: dark and spooky with the aroma of black sesame to be enjoyed on Halloween night, delicious and enveloping with the taste of apple pie, and finally intense and decisive with the scent of chestnuts and rosemary.
