Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Arrives Early To Mark Its 20th Anniversary

Melissa Locker
·2 min read

Have you gotten your first PSL of the season yet?

This year, even Starbucks can’t wait for Pumpkin Spice season. The seasonal favorite returns today, Thursday, August 24, marking both the unofficial start of fall and the 20th anniversary of the now-iconic beverage.

While these days it’s hard to imagine fall without the seasonal spiced drink, back in 2003, it was nothing more than one of many ideas devised in Starbucks HQ’s “Liquid Lab,” their research and development space. After sampling, sipping, and focus group testing, the Pumpkin Spice Latte made its debut in the fall of 2003, at about 100 stores in Washington, D.C. and Vancouver, Canada, the brand writes. “Within the first week of the market test, we knew we had a winner,” Peter Dukes, who led the Starbucks beverage development team at the time, recalled in a history of the drink. Now, PSL season is a global phenomenon.

While PSL is now a classic, there are a few new fall drinks joining the seasonal line-up, including one very adult option. Those options include the Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, which previously came only in macchiato form, and the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte, which pairs spiced chai with pumpkin cream cold foam topped with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice. According to Starbucks, the idea for the drink came from customers and baristas who created the drink through customization and then made it popular online. “We’re excited to celebrate the creativity of our baristas and customers by offering the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte on the official fall menu,” said Starbucks beverage developer Billy Altieri.

The brand’s upscale Starbucks Reserve locations are also getting in on the pumpkin-spiced fun with their own twist on the PSL, as well as a new Pumpkin Spice Whiskey Barrel-Aged Iced Latte, and a 21-and-over pumpkin-and-cinnamon spiced Espresso Martini.

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