Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte: The history of how it got to be so popular
The first day of fall isn’t September 23, it’s when Starbucks brings back their all too popular pumpkin spice latte. And this year, that was August 27. Nothing brings back the nostalgia of a cool autumn day than a warm cup of the delicious liquid. The drink has created a serious cult following the past decade and a half, but its inspiration came from much more humble beginnings.
America’s love affair with pumpkin spice dates back to the late 18th century when pumpkin pies entered the thanksgiving scene. Pumpkins and other squashes were plentiful in North America, so it wasn’t too difficult to see why Americans gravitate toward that particular food. Since then, pumpkin pies have only grown in popularity. They hit a steep incline when canned pumpkin puree hit the market in 1929.
Starbucks first introduced the famous pumpkin drink in 2003. It was invented by Starbucks director of espresso Peter Dukes at their Seattle headquarters. Surprisingly, the first PSL didn’t have any pumpkin in it. Instead, it had cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
A pumpkin puree was added in 2015 after the public demanded to see the ingredients of the iconic drink. But even before that critical ingredient addition, the PSL was extremely successful. Between its birth in 2003 and 2015, Starbucks sold 200 million pumpkin spice lattes. That’s a lot of pumpkin spice.
Many offshoots of the famous drink have hit the market, from the Starbucks VIA Instant and K-Cup Pods. The pumpkin scone and pumpkin cream cheese muffin have also fed into the pumpkin spice craze. Other companies have followed suit and created other products, from pumpkin spice bagels to pumpkin body butter.
In this year’s ad campaign, Starbucks is using the hashtag #PumpkinSpiceLatte to help saturate the internet with its autumn drink. Not that it needs that much help to get the word out. The hashtag has been used for years by Starbucks fans and other PSL lovers alike. On Instagram, the hashtag has been used 535 thousand times.
Since the rise of social media, the pumpkin spice latte has grown quite the following — literally. The fall drink has a verified Twitter account called @TheRealPSL. It started in June 2014 and currently has 104.3 thousand followers. It also notes that its birthday is October 10, so if there was ever a day to try the delicious drink for the first time, that would be it.
