IT’S autumn once again, and that means that Starbucks has brought back its iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The coffeehouse chain was the trailblazer for the espresso-based drink that became a cultural phenomenon.
Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte was almost named differently (stock image)[/caption]
Starbucks currently sells around a staggering 20 million Pumpkin Spiced Lattes every year, easily making it the company’s most popular seasonal beverage.
Since it first launched back in 2003, that total rests more in the hundreds of millions, per NBC News.
The introduction of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) at Starbucks was sparked those many years ago when the company was working diligently to create a new fall-based option.
There were many tests with different flavors to create feelings of warmth and comfort as the weather cooled.
One of the leading Starbucks staffers behind the seasonal creations at the time was Peter Dukes, who is considered the “father” of the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
“We started to brainstorm different ideas that would resonate in the fall seasonal time period,” he explained to People recently.
“We came up with hundreds of ideas…there were chocolate beverages and caramel beverages.”
Except, eventually Dukes and his team “whittled down to 10 concepts that we wanted to bring forward to our customers with some paper concepts.”
They asked the customers testing out the drinks whether or not it was unique and if they’d buy it.
Surprisingly, pumpkin was rated at the bottom for interest, but all of the customers rated it the highest for uniqueness.
Dukes emphasized that “the only pumpkin thing you would find in the marketplace was pumpkin puree cans in the grocery store that people would use to make pumpkin pies” at the time, so a pumpkin-based latte was truly a different take.
The Starbucks team decided to keep the pumpkin option on last-minute after the initial taste tests, and originally planned to call it the “Fall Harvest Latte” for it, but that changed quickly.
“After discussions, we thought it was important that we were very clear and direct with our customers about what to expect when they taste it, because we knew that a potential hurdle was getting customers to try it,” Dukes recalled.
“The spices played a crucial role: cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Adding spice in that descriptor of the name was in important part of the development for the Pumpkin Spice Latte.”
Starbucks Fall Menu
Starbucks has dropped the new fall menu on August 26. Check out all the new and returning items.
Returning fall favorites
- Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL)
- Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
- Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte
- Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin
- Raccoon Cake Pop
New items
- Pecan Oatmilk Cortado
- Pecan Crunch Cookie
- Coconut Oatmilk Macchiato
POPULARITY GROWS
By final testing, under the official name, scores were “through the roof” with customers, according to Dukes.
By October 10, 2003, the PSL launched at 100 Starbucks across Vancouver and Washington DC, and then the full introduction came in the fall of 2004.
While it remained popular over the years, social media made the PSL explode, especially when Starbucks created an account called @TheRealPSL on X (Twitter at the time) and now Instagram.
Dukes praised the PSL for what it offers Americans, and noted that what makes it truly special is that it isn’t available year-round.
“It’s the warm blanket in front of the fireplace, sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table with family and friends. The Pumpkin Spice Latte captures all that,” he said.
“Part of the beauty of this beverage is the excitement when it lands and when people can go get one and then they lament when it goes away. That is part of the beauty of the Pumpkin Spice Latte.”
PROTEIN POWER
Starbucks is also committing to new Protein Lattes and Protein Cold Foam this season starting September 29, as noted in a press release.
The lattes will be crafted with a protein-boosted milk that offers 15 to 36 grams per 16-ounce (grande) drink.
With the cold foam, it comes in a variety of flavors — including banana, vanilla, sugar-free vanilla, chocolate, matcha, salted caramel, brown sugar, plain, and even pumpkin and pecan for a limited-time during the fall season.
Tressie Leiberman, global chief brand officer at Starbucks, noted that the Protein Lattes and Protein Cold Foam specifically “tap into the growing consumer demand.”
Protein was the most mentioned nutrient last year, and about 71% of Americans are trying to consume more daily, according to Statista.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol also recently enforced a new “4 minute” rule that will impacted all customers.
Additionally, a customer at the chain was left in tears this summer after a “feel good” drink was discontinued.
