Yesterday, August 28, 2018, Starbucks released once again the fan favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte. It’s a long-standing tradition, signalling the start of fall. The Pumpkin Spice Latte has been around since 2003, according to this Starbucks News Room story, and was almost called the “Fall Harvest Latte”!
There have been years past of fan fare and special passes that you could show your barista to get an early sip, but this year, thankfully, it was released everywhere at the same time. I prefer the simplicity of the drink simply being on the menu, and you can order it. Last year, there was even a limited time offering of a pumpkin spice whipped cream – one more way to amp up your Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Are you going to indulge in a Pumpkin Spice Latte this year – maybe even a few of them? I hear this year’s Pumpkin Spice Latte is delicious!
Related: The story of the Eggnog Latte
(Truth moment: I didn’t actually drink any of the drink shown above. It was just used for the photo shoot. I’ve been vegan for a few months, and this just doesn’t fit into what I like or want to drink anymore. The syrup used to make the Pumpkin Spice Latte is definitely not vegan, and truthfully, I just don’t crave these kinds of drinks at all anymore. Having said that, I completely appreciate that many people know and love the Pumpkin Spice Latte and will enjoy it many times during the fall season.)
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The only drink with syrup that I look forward to is gingerbread. I have actually never had a PSL because I’m lactose intolerant but because it’s 90 degrees in Boston today, I look forward to just being able to drink hot coffee again š
Have you tried the gingerbread in oatmeal? Quite good!
I want to see the Maple Pecan latte back for a second year. So good!
Forgetting that pumpkin is generally considered a Fall and Winter item, and that some stores and supermarket advertise that they have a hundred or more “pumpkin spice items” available, and that people clamor for Starbucks to not delay its pumpkin spice roll-out, Fortune magazine wrote that as recently as the end of the 2015 “Starbucks pumpkin spice season”:
“It also turns out that serial PSL drinkers are a pretty small group: only 8% of pumpkin spice latte customers bought the drink three or more times during the offer period. The vast majority of PSL drinkersā72%āconsidered it an āindulgentā purchase and limited themselves to only one of the limited-time lattes during the season.”
It’s not really that much different than the “egg nog season”, when people complain that “egg nog is not available at Starbucks”, but really don’t buy it when it is available, or at least don’t make repeated purchases.
But that discounts the attention factor. Itās not just how much PSL sells, but also the attention it gets and how much it causes people to talk about Starbucks.
On a smaller scale, the unicorn Frappuccino was never about moving the needle on the bottom line with that drink, but instead the buzz it created.
Melody, maybe it’s time to drive up to Vancouver BC again for the new exclusive-to-Canada products:
https://www.mtlblog.com/news/starbucks-releases-all-new-top-secret-latte-in-canada
Cardamom in the coffee gives this a Middle Eastern twist… I haven’t tried these yet but I will soon!
You’re right. That might be worth a trip to Canada! š I would need a non-dairy version though since I’m now vegan. I should do a blog post on “what Melody really drinks…” because it’s so little of the menu now.
You should be able to get the cardamom latte or the cold foam cocoa nitro using coconut or soy instead of dairy. Coconut and cocoa, yum, we should call that the Bounty Nitro (Mounds Nitro for the Americans!) I’ve had cardamom in Turkish coffee, actually like how it tastes so I’m glad that flavor profile is coming to Starbucks. I always thought that was a huge missing piece in Starbucks’ repertoire.