McCormick's Invention

Back to basics – the staying power of the pumpkin spice latte

By Sarah Charles, intelligence.coffee

• Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, first launched in 2003, is its most popular seasonal drink of all time
• It drove a 24% jump in store visits on launch day last year
• Even as tariffs push up costs of coffee and spices, Starbucks says 10% of sales now come from “returning favourites” like PSL

EVERY autumn, America undergoes the same ritual. Supermarkets stack cinnamon-scented candles, Instagram grids fill with orange foliage, and coffee chains roll out the pumpkin spice latte (PSL).

What began as a seasonal experiment at Starbucks in 2003 has become a cultural icon. While rivals chase novelty – matcha, ube, lavender, pistachio – the PSL endures. Nearly identical traffic spikes greeted its 2025 launch as in 2024, cementing its status as the most consistent seasonal draw in American food retail.

Far from fading into parody, the PSL has become iconic because it taps into something deeper: nostalgia, comfort, and cultural shorthand. In an industry rattled by tariffs, price spikes, and shifting tastes, the PSL’s durability is a lesson in the power of basics.

The PSL was born almost two decades ago, when Starbucks’ product developers paired espresso with pumpkin pie flavours. The spice mix itself is not novel: McCormick branded “pumpkin spice” for supermarket shelves as early as the 1950s. But Starbucks did something different FINISH READING HERE

More News from Timonium

• $288M Towson High Project Breaks Ground
• NIGHT TRIPS: Dickerson 30 Years Of Terror