The pumpkin spice latte returns for it’s 20th anniversary

by Wali Warsame

Staff Writer

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Course.

Here it is: the pumpkin spice latte! Photo by Starbucks

Twenty years ago, during fall of 2003, Starbucks released its seasonal drink: the Pumpkin Spice Latte. Although the company offers a variety of seasonal drinks, such as the peppermint mocha, the pumpkin spice latte remains a big success for the franchise. The drink itself has inspired a rise in products from other establishments such as pumpkin spice-flavored beer and pumpkin spice-scented trash bags.

Starbucks spotlight seasonal drink includes a combination of flavors that illustrate the spirit of autumn, such as the obvious pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, tied together with the signature espresso and steamed milk.

Across social media, variations of orders for custom drinks have circulated, giving customers a chance to try out new drinks similar to the pumpkin spice latte. In Teen Vogue's 2015 article by Christina Najjar, 10 Super Annoying, Super Funny, and Super Complicated Starbucks Coffee Orders, the drink makes an appearance: "10. Pumpkin Spice Latte – Just kidding, these are actually AWESOME."

Frequent customers who have made themselves a familiar face at Starbucks have discovered the Starbucks Secret Menu app. The app provides an unofficial collection of off-menu custom drinks with unique recipes that have received consistent requests. Customers are able to order the lengthy and often complex drinks through the app rather than having to hold the line at the coffeehouse chain and overwhelm the barista.

Back in Chanel Oberlin’s day, the lead character in the Scream Queens series, the Starbucks Secret Menu app was still a secret. During the pilot episode, Chanel, played by Emma Roberts, attempts to make her order of a no foam (with an emphasis on "no foam"), five-shot, half-caffeinated, pumpkin spice latte at the alarming request of 210 degrees.

As the barista is expectedly hesitant to make a drink of that temperature, Chanel responds,

"I'm sorry, does your job description entail arguing with your customers, thereby delaying the moment at which they receive the irresistible nutmeggy sweetness of the extra hot, no foam, pumpkin spice latte they've been thinking about all day? I mean, God!"

While remaining on this topic, I took some time to interview Reem, a current Senior at Bradley and employee at Starbucks, to get insight on the perspective of the barista, her thoughts on the autumnal menu, its craze, and her personal taste.

Wali: As an employee of Starbucks, how has the overall experience with the release of fall products, specifically the Pumpkin Spice Latte, been?

Reem: The release has been pretty exciting for a lot of people I think. I’ve seen people online post countdowns to when pumpkin spice returns to Starbucks so it’s definitely a cultural staple.

Wali: Why do you think the Pumpkin Spice Latte has received continuous demand over the years?

Reem: I think the demand for the pumpkin spice latte happens because it’s short of an inaugural fall event, no matter when fall actually starts, when the pumpkin spice latte drops it starts to feel like fall is upon us.

Wali: Let's say your shift has ended and you are in the mood for the perfect drink to accompany the fall weather. What would the custom beverage consist of?

Reem: I’d say the Apple oat milk, shaken espresso is my favorite fall drink off the menu, followed closely by pumpkin chai. And a custom option I enjoy is a caramel macchiato with both caramel and apple drizzle!