The iconic symbol of fall – the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks – is returning to stores earlier than ever this year. For the first time, it’s debuting in August. It will be available in all stores beginning Tuesday, August 28th.
This is the 15th year that Starbucks has carried the seasonal beverage. In the past the drink has been made available to select customers prior to its official launch, but this is the first time that it has ever been widely available in late August.
Starbucks is also bringing back the Salted Caramel Mocha and the Teavana Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea Latte. Plus they will be adding some new drinks to the line-up: Cordusio (an espresso-based beverage), Cold Foam Dark Cocoa Nitro, and Iced Maple Pecan Latte with cold foam.
Despite its well-loved position in the seasonal Starbucks line-up, the PSL is not without controversy. Many people eschew the drink thanks to the trend of overloading everything this season with pumpkin spice flavor. And a few years ago there was an “expose” on fact that the pumpkin spice latte doesn’t actually contain pumpkin.
I’m not sure why people ever thought that there was pumpkin in it in the first place, after all the name even implies it’s flavored by the spices typically associated with pumpkin. But I digress.
How do you feel about this early arrival of the PSL? Are you all about pumpkin spice everything or are you hoping to hold on to summer for a few more weeks?
And should we start taking bets on when the red cups will make their debut this year?
