The official begin of fall continues to be months away, however the season is simply across the nook for Starbucks followers.

The espresso chain’s widespread Pumpkin Spice Latte is ready to return on Aug. 26, Starbucks introduced Monday. Though that is a later launch date than final yr, the 2025 return of the PSL continues to be on the sooner facet for the corporate, which historically had waited till September to convey again the seasonal drink, nearer to the precise begin of autumn, which falls on Sept. 22 this yr.

The favored menu merchandise consists of espresso, milk, Pumpkin Spice Syrup and whipped cream, with pumpkin pie spice sprinkled on high. The espresso chain began including actual pumpkin to the drink in 2015.

The return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte in addition to Starbucks’ new fall menu comes at a essential juncture for Starbucks, which is pulling all the levers it might to lure prospects again into its shops. After having fun with years of sturdy progress, the corporate’s progress has stalled, with U.S. same-store gross sales slipping 2% final yr.

The return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte in addition to new menu objects are “cultural touchstones that spark connection, nostalgia and pleasure,” stated Starbucks international chief model officer Tressie Leiberman in an announcement to CBS MoneyWatch.

The perennial debut of the Pumpkin Spice Latte might not be sufficient by itself to show across the destiny of Starbucks. But when previous years are any indication, it is positive to be a crowd pleaser and income booster.

What’s on Starbucks’ new 2025 fall menu?

Starbucks stated a number of different fall-inspired drinks can be returning to its menu, together with the Pumpkin Cream Chilly Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte.

The chain can be including a brand new fall drink, referred to as the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado, with Leiberman describing it as combining “fall flavors with our daring espresso.” Starbucks can be including a fall menu merchandise, Italian Sausage Egg Bites. 

The rollout of the brand new fall menu comes amid CEO Brian Niccol‘s “Again to Starbucks” marketing campaign, which he rolled out in September of final yr to extend foot site visitors within the chain’s shops and revive gross sales.

The rise of PSL

Starbucks launched the drink in 2003 after a months-long brainstorming session to create the corporate’s first fall beverage. Led by Peter Dukes, who’s credited as the daddy of the drink, the group’s objective was to match the success of the peppermint mocha. 

Little did they know it might turn into their hottest seasonal beverage of all time. Since debuting over 20 years in the past, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, additionally recognized by its initials PSL, has skyrocketed in recognition, with a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of drinks bought. 

“No one knew originally what it might develop to be,” Dukes stated in a narrative posted on the Starbucks web site for the beverage’s 20-year anniversary. “Twenty years later, it is taken on a lifetime of its personal.”

Starbucks initially thought of naming the drink the autumn harvest latte, however modified it to the Pumpkin Spice Latte “as a result of the spices play a very necessary position in bringing out the flavors of pumpkin,” Dukes stated in a Starbucks publish.

The Starbucks-induced pumpkin craze led Merriam-Webster so as to add the “pumpkin spice” to the dictionary in 2022. It additionally prompted different chains like Dunkin’ and McDonald’s to introduce their very own pumpkin-inspired drinks in 2007 and 2013, respectively. 

Mentions of pumpkin spice on U.S. menus climbed almost 34% from 2014 to 2024, based on Technomic, which tracks shopper and menu developments.

The Related Press

contributed to this report.