Here's when Starbucks is bringing back fall-favorite pumpkin spice lattes

Charles Dunlap, Columbia Daily Tribune

The unofficial start of fall is almost here as pumpkin spice lattes make a likely return to Starbucks Coffee Aug. 22 in the U.S.

This popular seasonal coffee drink was introduced 21 years ago and is often referred to as just "PSL." Starbucks has not officially announced when stores will sell the drink, but a Virginia Starbucks employee did let slip to USA TODAY the date. The Columbia Daily Tribune is part of the USA TODAY Network.

Starbucks typically releases the pumpkin spice latte in the latter half of August, but the likely date this year is the earliest release in the last six years. It is made with espresso and steamed milk with real pumpkin flavor, plus cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. The whipped cream topping also has pumpkin pie spices, the company says. You can order it hot, cold or blended.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte first debuted in 2003 and is Starbucks' most popular seasonal beverage.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte first debuted in 2003 and is Starbucks' most popular seasonal beverage.

While Starbucks has not officially announced its fall menu lineup for 2024, here are the items featured on it last year:

  • Pumpkin Spice Latte

  • Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte

  • Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew

  • Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso

  • Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato

  • Baked Apple Croissant

  • Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin

  • Owl Cake Pop

  • Pumpkin & Pepita Loaf

Other brands jumping on pumpkin spice bandwagon

When the fall season hits, many brands bring out seasonal products flavored with typical pumpkin pie spices.

Even Hormel hopped onto the pumpkin spice bandwagon last year with a Cure 81 pumpkin spice ham, a half-spiral ham "infused with a specially formulated pumpkin-spice blend," per a report from PR Newswire.

Nearly any food product could be "pumpkin spiced." Starbucks competitor Dunkin' is even trying its hand at alcoholic coffee drinks.

While Dunkin' Spiked, a ready-to-drink line of spiked iced coffees was launched last year, this is the first year it is bringing in a seasonal pumpkin spice variety. If you want to get it, you'll have to travel to Illinois or Kentucky as it will not be available in Missouri.

Other states where the 6% alcohol-by-volume, ready-to-drink canned iced coffee is available are Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

The release is part of an expansion of the Dunkin' Spiked line of iced teas and coffees.

"We knew we had an opportunity to create something special with an adult twist on the beloved beverage," said Brian Gilbert, vice president of retail business development at Dunkin'. "After receiving such an overwhelmingly positive response on our Spiked Iced Coffees after only one year in market, the Dunkin’ Spiked Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte felt like a natural addition to the line, allowing us to meet the growing demands of 21+ consumers seeking new spiked spins on their favorite Dunkin’ — and fall — flavors."

The Dunkin' Spiked Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte "is crafted with real coffee, pumpkin spice flavor, and a non-dairy creamer that is both vegan and lactose-intolerant friendly," a news release noted. It comes in a 4-pack of 12-ounce cans. Dunkin' expects to release the drink to retailers soon.

Chobani, known for its Greek yogurt, and coffee roaster La Colombe are introducing a couple of new items and bringing back several favorites for the fall season, the brand said last month in a news release.

New products include a Chobani Pumpkin Spice Greek Yogurt Drink, which has real pumpkin blended with seasonal spices in a convenient on-the-go format; and the Chobani Pumpkin Spice Barista Oatmilk for addition in coffee, tea, espresso drinks and dirty sodas with the barista-style oatmilk.

Returning products are:

  • Chobani Pumpkin Spice Greek Yogurt;.

  • Chobani Pumpkin Harvest Crisp Flip;

  • Chobani Zero Sugar Pumpkin Spice Greek Yogurt;

  • Chobani Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer;

  • Chobani Pumpkin Spice Oatmilk Drink; and

  • La Colombe Pumpkin Spice Draft Latte.

“Pumpkin spice has gone from a seasonal trend to a highly anticipated staple, and we at Chobani and La Colombe couldn’t be more excited to release these quintessential fall flavors now.” said Niel Sandfort, Chobani chief innovation officer.

Why is pumpkin spice popular?

The popularity of pumpkin spice and by extension the PSL may not be totally associated with its flavor but rather its limited availability, according to reporting by The Food Institute.

"The timing of the year also helps as people (tired) of the heat toward the end of summer and get excited about ushering in a new season," the report notes, referring to information provided by Kevin Bryla, chief marketing officer and head of customer experience at SpotOn, a point-of-sale technology provider.

"From an operator’s perspective, restaurants typically see a softening near the end of summer, so starting a limited-time holiday offering a bit early makes good sense," Bryla said to The Food Institute. "It also doesn’t hurt that pumpkin is incredibly versatile and can appeal to food and beverages, both sweet and savory."

SpotOn provided guidance last year on how restaurants and other eateries could incorporate pumpkin spice food and beverages into menus.

Gabe Hauri with USA TODAY contributed to this report.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: When does Starbucks get pumpkin spice lattes

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