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Starbucks brings back Pumpkin Spice Latte earlier than ever

  • CNN
  • August 21, 2024
New York

CNN

 — 

It's still summer, but the Pumpkin Spice Latte is coming back to Starbucks earlier than ever.

Beginning Thursday, the fall favorite beverage returns to US menus, two days earlier than in 2023. Its return also marks the launch of Starbucks' full autumn menu, which includes pumpkin- and apple-flavored drinks and snacks.

The PSL, as fans call it, has become a reliable hit, making the drink an autumn(ish) mainstay that gives the coffee chain a much-needed sales boost during this time of year. Roughly 10% of Starbucks' overall sales come from seasonal staples, the chain revealed Wednesday.

iHOP's pumpkin spice menu items.

Courtesy iHOP

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Last year, Starbucks celebrated the drink's 20th anniversary. Since its launch, the PSL has taken on a life of its own, becoming a signal for fall both beloved and mocked and ushering in an era of pumpkin spice products, from cat litter to yogurt to beer. It has even prompted rival chains to introduce their own pumpkin beverages and foods earlier than Starbucks.

Starbucks credits the PSL's popularity to its familiarity. "It's something you can depend on," Thomas Prather, vice president of marketing at Starbucks, previously told CNN. "When PSL comes back, it's something that you've remembered over the years and it's like, OK, something in my life is normal and predictable and comforting."

The PSL could also give the chain a jolt: Starbucks has been struggling with sagging sales and an abrupt leadership change. Last week, Starbucks named Chipotle CEO and corporate fix-it man Brian Niccol to be its new chairman and CEO beginning next month.