Your Fall Coffee Fix: A Review of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Coffee

Fall is in the air, and if you’re anything like me, that means one thing, it’s officially pumpkin spice season at Trader Joe’s! Enter Trader Joe’s Cold Brewed Coffee Concentrate with Pumpkin Spice, the brew that promises to deliver all your autumn cravings in a single sip. But does it live up to the hype, or are we just sipping on seasonal FOMO? I brewed up a batch to find out, and spoiler alert—my coffee cup might as well be wearing a flannel and crunching leaves.

I am a pretty avid coffee drinker and coming from Seattle we have a reputation for keeping up with Starbucks in our backyard. You don’t see many coffee reviews from me because I am a bit of a coffee snob and frankly I like fresh roasted coffee from small roasters here in my backyard. There are a few coffees from Trader Joe’s that I actually like and someday I will spend the time to review those properly but for now, we have Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice flavored cold brew coffee to enjoy!

Now, let’s get this straight from the beginning. There are no pumpkin products in this coffee. It is purely flavored with the same spices that make up “pumpkin spice”. Those spices are cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and orange peel. Also, this coffee is not sweet. There is no sugar. It is actually concentrated coffee so you need to water it down with something like hot water or milk.

I choose to make two ways. First as a cold brew with milk and then as a hot brew with hot water and frothed whipped milk.

The Cold Brew Tasting

First thing I noticed about the bottle is that it has a clear bottom and there was a fair amount of very fine sediment so I highly suggest shaking the bottle before you consume it. There are probably some good flavors in there.

Let me remind you again this is concentrated coffee. A little goes a long way and it is not sweet. Just coffee and spices. It will taste very weird and bitter straight out of the bottle. Ask me how I know this! But this is good! You can stretch this bottle for many drinks.

This was simple to make. I just filled up a glass with some ice and poured a couple ounces of the Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Coffee Concentrate into the glass with the ice and then I put about 4 ounces of whole milk into the glass. I didn’t stir it because I like to see the separation between the coffee and the milk. It makes for a very attractive glass as you can see above.

You can only smell a slight pumpkin spice flavor when it’s this cold, but when I took a sip, the flavors start to pop on your tongue. I think the weird thing about this concentrate is that you expect it to be sweet since so many pumpkin spice products are sweet. You can easily remedy this situation with some sugar or sweet condensed milk.

I could make out all the flavors. Nutmeg, orange rinds, ginger, a smidge of cinnamon and a touch of cloves. While all these flavors are there, they are quite restrained. They don’t overpower the coffee flavors and work harmoniously with the coffee in a good way. I really enjoyed the cold brew and milk combination. You can do so much with this…

The Hot Brew Tasting

Next up, I decided to make it as a hot brew. For this method, listed on the side of the bright orange bottle, is 1/3 coffee concentrate and 2/3 hot water or milk. For this method I opted for water with a small amount of whipped milk from my milk frother. Otherwise no sugar or anything else.

In my coffee mug I poured the cold concentrate and hot water together then topped with whipped milk. Once the hot water hit the concentrate, you could immediately smell the spice flavors wafting out of the mug.

Again, I poured the hot milk on top and then tasted it. The flavors when it’s hot are more pronounced but not in a bad way, you can pick them up more. Again, things are well balanced and the pumpkin spice isn’t too overpowering and I really liked the balance between the spice and the coffee flavors. I thought the coffee was full bodied and because it’s concentrated, you can make it more full or less full bodied by adding or taking away from their recommended concentrations.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate earns a solid 8 out of 10 stars. Whether I enjoyed it cold with a splash of milk or hot with frothed milk, this brew hit the spot. The pumpkin spice flavor was perfectly balanced—it added just the right amount of fall flair without overshadowing the rich coffee taste. It’s not overly sweet or artificial, which is a win for anyone who wants a festive yet flavorful coffee experience. If you’re looking for a cozy cup that gives you all the autumn vibes without overwhelming your palate, this is a must-try!