It isn’t yet the first day of fall, but Starbucks’ love-it-or-hate-it Pumpkin Spice Latte went on sale nationwide Aug. 30.
Has this autumnal drink been around for your entire Starbucks relationship? That depends on how long you’ve been sipping. The PSL was created in Seattle in 2001 and is celebrating its 19th year in stores in 2022.
It’s a Gen Z baby: It grew up with the generation raised on YouTube and memes. Kind of fits, right?
Pumpkin Spice Lattes are espresso beverages made with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, “pumpkin sauce” and steamed milk. Maybe because it was born among a generation with nearly endless choices in life, there isn’t just one way to drink a PSL. Get it iced if it’s still summertime (and it is, check your calendars). It also comes blended or hot.
When Starbucks staffer Peter Dukes created it, his team had no idea if Starbucks customers would like it.
“It was the flavor that almost wasn’t,” he told CBS News.
Today, the PSL is copied by thousands of independent coffee shops and served at Starbucks’ 17,050 stores in the United States.
It has also inspired Starbucks offshoots: There’s the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, which also returned Aug. 30, 2022 for its fourth year. Sbux also sells a pumpkin cream cheese muffin and pumpkin scone, plus the long-time popular bakery item, the pumpkin loaf. (That last one is available year-round, for good reason.)
For those who prefer fall apple flavors, Starbucks also now sells an Apple Crisp Macchiato, made with regular milk or oak milk.
