Pumpkin Spice Latte returns to Starbucks on Tuesday for the 22nd year, four days after its Aug. 22 rollout last year. The Seattle-based coffee giant gave fans a heads-up on the release date back in July, beating out rivals with the announcement if not the launch. Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ and Caribou Coffee began serving pumpkin drinks and other fall favorites earlier this month.
Joining PSL in the fall lineup are Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai. This year, Starbucks is promoting the fact that the beverages are all made with real pumpkin that is grown in Washington’s Walla Walla Valley not far from the chain’s Seattle headquarters. Pumpkin farmer Jeff Leber serves as a spokesperson of sorts, providing the mega-chain with a local sourcing angle that gives it a sustainable, natural image. Although Starbucks introduced pumpkin puree 10 years ago, the original recipe used flavorings and spices.
Farmer Jeff Leber grows pumpkins for Starbucks not far from the chain's Seattle headquarters.
Pumpkin is showing up in several Reserve drinks as well. There’s a new Pumpkin Spice Whiskey-Barrel-Aged Manhattan and Pumpkin S’Mores Tart, as well as the returning Starbucks Reserve Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Spice Whiskey. The elevated PSL is crafted with reserve espresso. All are available at Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in Chicago, New York City and Seattle, along with the new non-pumpkin Tiramisu Latte.
In the past, apple has joined pumpkin in Starbucks’ fall flavor parade, but pecan is taking the supporting role this year. New at the cafes is the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, which combines three shots of Starbucks Blonde Espresso with notes of pecan, brown butter, holiday baking spices and steamed oatmilk, topped with a sprinkle of pecan crunch topping. “The saltiness and browned butter notes combined with the toasted pecan flavors are the perfect complement to the Cortado’s bold espresso base,” said Patrick Penny, lead beverage developer for Starbucks, in a statement. “When paired with creamy oatmilk, the pecan balances the vibrant, rich flavor notes of Starbucks Blonde Espresso.”
The Pecan Oatmilk Cortado and iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte.
Ready for a return engagement after last fall’s debut is the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, served both hot and iced, the latter with a layer of vanilla sweet cream cold foam. And customers can add a pecan twist any iced beverage by topping it with Pecan Cold Foam.
On the food side, Italian Sausage Egg Bites are new this season. The cage-free eggs are blended with crumbled Italian sausage, sundried tomato pesto, basil and Monterey jack cheese, then cooked sous-vide style. For those who prefer a sweet instead of this savory choice, there’s the returning Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin and a Raccoon Cake Pop.
As the PSL pioneer, Starbucks felt its most famous beverage deserved its own Instagram account, and @TheRealPSL was created in 2014. It ran for a while but then disappeared for eight years. Now @TheRealPSL is back as the Official Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte account. The first post already has more than 4,000 likes.
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