While many different flavors and scents spark interest during the fall months, the most popular by far is pumpkin. When the leaves start falling and the air turns crisper, pumpkin-flavored or scented products are seen and advertised almost everywhere, from body soaps to desserts. Pumpkin pies and other pumpkin desserts are of course loved by many, but for coffee lovers like myself, the beginning of fall sparks the seasonal delight of a beloved coffee drink complete with espresso, pumpkin spice syrup, and steamed milk known as the pumpkin spice latte, or PSL.
Nowadays, multiple different restaurants and stores carry or sell pumpkin spice lattes. In fact, according to The Washington Post, pumpkin spice lattes accounted for more than $200 million worth of sales in 2022. It’s easy to say that the famous PSL is well-loved. However, even though multiple coffee shops now carry it, Starbucks holds the name of being the first-ever store to release the pumpkin spice latte in the fall of 2003, marking this fall as the drink’s twentieth anniversary.
The first PSL was made in a place called the “Liquid Lab” in Washington by a man named Peter Dukes. After Starbucks had success in previous years with their Christmas-time peppermint mochas and eggnog lattes, creating a fan-favorite fall drink was the new challenge. During the spring of 2003, experiments began on the seventh floor of the Starbucks headquarters in Seattle. Even twenty years later, it’s clear that Starbucks succeeded in its project.
Incapable of being perfect on the first attempt, the Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe was defined and redefined in the months before its release. Starbucks decided to only release the drink to stores in Washington D.C. and Vancouver, Canada at first since it was a trial run, but it soon became clear that the drink was a hit. By the next fall season, Starbucks locations across the United States and Canada were advertising the Pumpkin Spice Latte on their menu. Since its first-ever trial run launch in 2003, Starbucks has sold over 600 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes.
While the Pumpkin Spice Latte naturally gained popularity from the moment it was first introduced, social media has promoted it into the autumn phenomenon it has become. Instagram hashtags and TikToks discussing Starbucks and their annual fall drink release have promoted the sales of Pumpkin Spice Lattes even more. Many people now associate fall leaves and sweater weather with Starbucks’ yearly PSL season and are using various social media platforms to express their anticipation of its return. For example, in our home county, several coffee shops serve the PSL during the fall months, such as Magic Mugs, both Starbucks locations (New Philadelphia and Dover), and Biggby. According to senior and avid coffee lover, Kelsi Clay, “I love everything at Starbucks and the PSL is no exception. In my opinion, Starbucks is the best place in Tuscarawas County to order a PSL from, and now there’s even one in Dover!”
Since the success with the PSL, Starbucks has also added to their pumpkin craze by introducing the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew five years ago, which also is well-loved by customers. Now in 2023, a brand new drink titled the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte was introduced in this year’s fall drink release. Not only has the Pumpkin Spice Latte become a staple drink in and of itself, but it has also inspired other drinks and an entire pumpkin spice movement.
Peter Dukes surely has a lot to be proud of with his invention and contribution to the coffee industry. According to various sources, he still works at Starbucks to this day, but now focuses on marketing. Dukes stated that the PSL has “. . .taken on a life of its own,” and that is certainly the truth. The PSL has not faltered in its ability to remain on the top of the seller charts for twenty years, and it never fails to bring about excitement each autumn.
Since the Pumpkin Spice Latte is a seasonal drink at most coffee shops, it is not sold year-round, so be sure to enjoy it before it’s gone for the year. After all, people say that “oldies are goodies,” and this is true of the classic PSL. This year may be its twentieth anniversary, but it’ll surely be around for many more years to come.
Sources Used:
https://www.foodnetwork.ca/article/history-of-starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/08/17/when-pumpkin-spice-latte-starts/
https://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media/pumpkin-spice-latte-social-media/
https://www.today.com/food/drinks/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-return-2023-rcna101285
