The History and Times of the Pumpkin Spice Latte
We’re settling into cozy jumper season with some pumpkin spice lattes. Read on for more on this festive fave!
Added: 13th October 2017
The History and Times of the Pumpkin Spice Latte
It was nothing but a wannabe flavour trying to break through to the front line as a Starbucks taste sensation. It almost didn’t make it. It was in danger of losing out to other top contenders like sugary caramel and rich chocolate. Fortunately, the Pumpkin Spice Latte broke through to become a darling of the Autumn coffee line-up.
In the Beginning
Pumpkin Spice Latte made its debut at Starbucks in 2003. It showed off its cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves spiciness for the taste-test panel, but it met with mixed reviews. It wasn’t an instant hit. After a few tweaks to boost the flavour, Pumpkin Spice Latte was released to the public, and it’s been on fire ever since. As baristas served up more and more lattes, the PSL shorthand written on the cup became the nickname for the fall favourite.
Here Comes Halloween
Not content to be merely a ridiculously scrumptious caffeinated beverage, the Pumpkin Spice Latte does double-duty as a herald of Halloween. You can even wear a Pumpkin Spice Latte costume for fancy dress parties and Halloween events. That creamy, pumpkin-spice flavour pulls all kinds of feel-good emotional triggers as it counts down the days to the spookiest night of the year. Sipping a PSL evokes thoughts of carefree days of kicking up leaves wrapping up warm, carving scary pumpkins, and making the trick-or-treat rounds in spectacular costumes. It’s like happiness and Halloween, together, in a cup.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Does Social Media
You know your favourite coffee beverage has one heck of a clout when it sends out tweets..! Follow Pumpkin Spice Latte on Twitter to keep up to date on all things PSL, especially if you’re waiting for the release date of this seasonally available concoction. Check out PSL’s Instagram account for pictures of the character parachuting in to welcome the Autumn season, heading to a party as Bride of Frankenlatte, and trick-and-treating in a mummy costume.
Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Latte
If you crave the rich PSL flavour at work but you don’t want to go out to a coffee shop, try making your own version of the Pumpkin Spice Latte at home the night before. A quick guide is to heat milk, sugar, and pureed pumpkin in a saucepan and then mix in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Then when you get to work, make an espresso with your bean to cup coffee machine, and top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of spice. Yummy. You can even avoid the big calorie hit by going with skimmed milk, choosing a sugar substitute, and if you dare, skipping the whipped cream…but we wouldn’t advise that.
View our range of coffee shop style syrups for your hot drinks.
