The Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) is a coffee drink made with a mix of traditional fall spice flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove), steamed milk, espresso, and often sugar, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice. The beverage is most commonly associated with Starbucks, which first offered the drink in the fall of 2003.[1] The popular flavor has inspired a wide range of product variations that appear on a seasonal basis.[2]
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Starbucks started developing the Pumpkin Spice Latte in January 2003 following the successful introduction of winter seasonal drinks such as the Peppermint Mocha and Eggnog Latte. Starbucks' director of espresso Americas, Peter Dukes, said that "developers realized there was something special around the pumpkin flavor, especially since there wasn't anything around pumpkin at the time". The company experimented with different combinations and ratios of pumpkin to spice, ultimately deciding on a recipe with no pumpkin in it.[3]
In the fall of 2003, the final recipe was tested in Vancouver and Washington, D.C. Sales of the drink exceeded the company's expectations: Dukes said "we couldn't keep up initially... we had to expedite inventory to the stores."[4][3] The product went on sale in all U.S. Starbucks stores the following year.
Pumpkin Spice Latte became Starbucks' most popular seasonal beverage, with more than 200 million sold between its 2003 introduction and 2015.[3] In 2013, the company applied to trademark the initialism PSL. Their application was granted and the trademark registered in 2015.[5] The beverage started a trend of pumpkin spice products, such as candles and air fresheners, as well as for foods as diverse as doughnuts, breakfast cereals, cough drops, and pasta sauce.[6][7]
In August 2015, Starbucks changed the recipe to include pumpkin and remove artificial colors. The ingredients announced included a "pumpkin pie flavored syrup" made with sugar, condensed skim milk, pumpkin purée, coloring, and preservative.[8] In an IFT publication, Shelke said that the change was imperceptible and served only to "appease those who wanted to see real pumpkin on the list of ingredients."[9]
Starbucks sold more than 200 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes between its launch and 2013, generating revenue at a rate of at least $80 million a year in some seasons, and outselling products such as the Eggnog Latte and the Peppermint Mocha.[10][11]
In a 2013 article published in Forbes magazine, Debra Donston-Miller wrote that "products that are available only for a limited time have a kind of built-in marketing that can grow in impact over time."[12]
In 2013, the company added a gaming element to the drink's arrival, allowing customers to "unlock" the drink at Starbucks stores nearby by ordering the drink with a code before its official sale date.[4]
Since the introduction of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, other companies have created Pumpkin Spice-inspired products. According to Datassential Menu Trends, restaurants' pumpkin-inspired limited-time offers increased 234 percent between 2008 and 2012.[13] These items include pumpkin M&M's, Dunkin' Donuts pumpkin-flavored coffee K-packs, and pumpkin-flavored whiskey. Companies have also manufactured pumpkin spice lotion, shampoo, and candles.[10]
The Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte can also be made iced or as a Frappuccino upon request at a Starbucks store. In the fall of 2017, the company added a Chai variety of the drink called the Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte.[14][15]
According to CNBC, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is Starbucks' most popular seasonal drink, with worldwide sales of around 424 million.[16] Forbes estimated the beverage accounted for $100 million in revenue for Starbucks in 2015.[17]
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