Ahh, the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. The PSL name is as evocative of fall as changing leaves on trees, school buses, shorter days, and oversized knit sweaters.
Starbucks (SBUX) -) created the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003, and while some Starbucks executives initially thought its flavor too overpowering for espresso, the public couldn’t get enough of it. Since then, the pumpkin spice latte, or PSL for short, has become one of Starbucks’ most popular menu items, selling more than 500 million cups of cozy, caffeinated beverage between 2003 and 2015 alone.
Other businesses were quick to stake their claim in the pumpkin patch, rolling out all kinds of pumpkin-spiced products. You can find pumpkinized versions of everything from cereal and cookies to potato chips, candles — even dog food. The pumpkin spice product market has grown into a competitive $600 million industry, forever ensconcing the savory mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger into the cultural zeitgeist.
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Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte is not just an American phenomenon. It’s also available at locations around the globe, like in Japan, where you can enjoy your PSL with a pumpkin scone. Starbucks stores in Africa and the Middle East feature a pumpkin cream shaken espresso on their fall menu. Its late-August rollout makes the PSL a springtime favorite in the Southern Hemisphere, where in South America and Australia it’s served warm or iced, alongside a slice of pumpkin cake.
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Due to its limited, seasonal nature, the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte gained a thirsty following from the very beginning, spawning countless pumpkin spice selfies and just as many parodies. Social platforms are credited with broadening PSL’s appeal — Starbucks created handles on X and Instagram devoted exclusively to the beverage. It even hosted a live-streamed “PSL Pumpkin Hatch” on Facebook Live and YouTube in 2017, when 8 million viewers eagerly tuned in to find out the date of its next release.
In recent years, it's even become fashionable to make fun of what has become an autumnal cliché. But it's time to face it, haters — the pumpkin spice latte is here to stay.
What is a PSL at Starbucks?
Pumpkin spice lattes are crafted from a base of espresso and steamed milk, “pumpkin sauce,” and then topped with whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie spice. The mixture known as "pumpkin sauce" is a blend of sugar, sweetened condensed nonfat milk, natural and artificial pumpkin flavors, salt, and preservatives.
Curiously, for the first dozen years of PSL’s existence, actual pumpkin was not part of the drink. In 2015, Starbucks began adding pumpkin puree to its pumpkin spice lattes, sourced from the 2-pound Japanese kabocha pumpkin.
Peter Dukes, known as the “father of the PSL,” invented the pumpkin spice latte in 2003. His research team refined it for nearly a year at the Starbucks’ Liquid Lab research center in Seattle. Their quest was to discover the next Peppermint Mocha, Starbucks’ first seasonal hit.
They brainstormed hundreds of ideas before narrowing their list down to their top 20; naturally, chocolate and caramel were strong contenders, and orange and cinnamon were also considered, but it was the unique flavor combination of pumpkin and espresso that topped them all. The team perfected PSL’s signature taste by bringing in and sampling slices of pumpkin pie, both homemade and store-bought, followed by a shot of espresso — and then replicating that in sippable form.
Why does the Starbucks PSL taste different?
2015 was a year of transformation for Starbucks’ pumpkin spice latte when the company responded to health-conscious fans who had called for the removal of artificial caramel coloring. It was also the year that real pumpkin puree was added. Many believe this led to the PSL tasting slightly different — and, perhaps, even better.
Does a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks really taste like pumpkin?
Pumpkins themselves have a ripe, earthy taste that is often difficult to pinpoint. So just pumpkin alone probably wouldn't have the same appeal. A pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, thankfully, is just as much about the seasoning as it is about the beloved gourd.
According to a research study by Johns Hopkins University scientists, people equate the traditional PSL aromas — cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger — with feelings of nostalgia. Even more interestingly, the study adds that without an evocative scent like this, a person’s taste perceptions are actually quite limited. This might explain why Dukes’ team added an extra dash of pumpkin spice to the top of every PSL.
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♬ original sound - Karla
Is Starbucks still serving pumpkin spice lattes?
Starbucks serves pumpkin spice lattes seasonally, each fall. You can order it between the end of August and early January when stores switch over to their winter menus.
You can also place an order simply by calling it by its abbreviation, PSL. Starbucks baristas are credited with creating the 3-letter nickname, which is used to identify the drink on the side of each cup.
Can the Starbucks pumpkin spice lattes be made vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and keto-friendly?
Pumpkin spice lattes can be customized in an endless number of ways. You can enjoy it warm or iced and made with your choice of milk (whole, skim, 2%, or plant-based options like almond, oat, coconut, and soy milks). You can also specify the number of espresso shots and pumps of pumpkin sauce you want to add in.
Pumpkin is also now featured in other Starbucks menu favorites, like the pumpkin cream cold brew and pumpkin cream chai latte. Over in the bakery case, Starbucks serves up a pumpkin cream cheese muffin, warmed in its oven.
At this time, due to the dairy found in the pumpkin sauce, the PSL is not considered vegan or dairy-free.
Keto enthusiasts can attempt to craft their own PSL by substituting a chai latte made with cream, adding in a pump of sugar-free vanilla syrup, and asking for pumpkin spice topping.
PSL ingredients don't contain gluten, but since baristas use shared equipment to serve their drinks, Starbucks does not guarantee that it is gluten-free.
