People Are Complaining Starbucks' PSL Doesn't Taste Right, So Our Editors Investigated
As summer ends, we patiently await the launch of the Pumpkin Spice Latte to signal the unofficial start of fall. Starbucks released its PSL on August 24, along with other fall favorites. But now some people are taking to social media to complain that the PSL just doesn't taste the same this year.
TikTok user @krisbella14 posted a video asking, "Is is just me or does the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte taste different this year?"
A video from user @hhheathermichelle talks about how the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew tastes different. "It's just not hitting. It's falling flat—literally, the foam is falling flat. And I look in the window and they have a whole ass pitcher of this cold foam," said the TikToker.
In a comment under the TikTok, someone saying they're a Starbucks employee claimed that the method has changed. "We use 1/2 pumps this year instead of our typical full pumps. Get 2x pumps and go to a store that doesn't premake their PCCF," they wrote, referring to Pumpkin Cream Cold Foam.
Someone claiming to be a former Starbucks barista posted a video in August 2022 alleging that the pump had changed and that it releases a smaller amount of syrup. And also that Starbucks replaced artificial pumpkin with real pumpkin. However, we know that it was way back in 2015 when Starbucks started using real pumpkin and removed artificial flavors. So what gives?
Discussions about the Pumpkin Spice Latte tasting different have been going on for a while. In 2022, Newsweek covered the TikTok barista who claimed that the Starbucks PSL tasted different because the recipe changed.
So in an effort for answers, we reached out to Starbucks to find out whether the recipe has in fact changed.
A Starbucks spokesperson said that "the recipes for Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew have not changed." So there you have it.
Have you tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte yet this year and did you notice anything different about it?
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