The legendary Pumpkin Spice Latte, Starbucks' annual autumn delight, will be back before we know it. Apparently, many Starbucks stores already have the syrup in stock. Some Starbucks baristas recently snapped covert pictures of bottles of the "Pumpkin Spice Flavoured Sauce with other natural ingredients" and tossed the photos on social. The images sparked a conversation about the early arrival of this year's PSL storm.
Usually, the roll-out date for Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice products is around Labor Day in the United States, and some are citing the official release could be September 5. In fact, a Starbucks in New York City is advertising September 1 as the release date. Still, some people are saying that if you ask nicely at your local Starbucks, you might be able to score a Pumpkin Spice Latte early as a "secret menu item" so long as the store has the syrup available.
The images brought out a mix of fans and foes. Critics of the Pumpkin Spice trend blasted the Reddit pictures and mentioned how Halloween and Thanksgiving are weeks away. Even the barista who posted the picture wrote,
It's coming. God help us all.
Some people said it was a shock to see the syrup in stock that early. But was it? Stores have to stock up to get ready for the upcoming quarter, and this trend is huge. It seems like good business sense to begin sending out the syrup now.
While critics lambasted everything Pumpkin Spice, fans of the drink stood up for it and said how much they liked the taste. People on social mentioned that the Pumpkin Spice drinks are not the only seasonal Starbucks flavors that they love, and they talked about how gingerbread and chai flavored drinks also bring out the warm fuzzies. (Alas, there was no mention of this year's Unicorn Frappuccino.)
The image also gave fans a quick glimpse at the ingredients that make up a Pumpkin Spice Latte. It appears the syrup--or "sauce"--includes but 2% of pumpkin puree in addition to sugar, condensed skim milk, and a number of other additives.
It is worth noting that McDonald's also announced it would unveil its Pumpkin Spice Latte earlier than Starbucks this year. Around the time Starbucks employees began mentioning the arrival of PSL syrup, McDonald's employees took to social to show pictures of the same thing happening at their company. For example, this Mickey D's fan on Twitter tweeted:
Furthermore, Dunkin Donuts decided to get in on the action. The company announced it would get in the Pumpkin Spice game on August 28 with beverages and treats with the Pumpkin Spice theme. The company tweeted:
Of course, the Pumpkin Spice drinks most people know come from Starbucks, where the longstanding tradition began back in 2003. The Seattle-based coffee shop has the OG PSLs, and even Forbes once bowed down in tribute, saying Starbucks virtually invented the marketplace for Pumpkin Spice products.
For now, Starbucks is still featuring summer drinks on its menu. If you can't wait, you try one of the competitors' versions, or you can find Starbucks' iced PSLs in select grocery stores. But get ready for all of the "basic AF" posts on social. Pumpkin Spice is on its way.
Photo courtesy of Starbucks.
