Starbucks Unveils First New Pumpkin Drink in 16 Years

For the first time in 16 years, Starbucks is adding a new pumpkin-inspired drink to its seasonal fall lineup. On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the beloved coffee chain added the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew to menus nationwide and in Canada. The new beverage's debut was made alongside the annual return of the fan-favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte, which has a cult following.

Like the PSL, the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is made with real pumpkin. It was created after 10 different variations of the drink were tested, with the team settling on a recipe that starts with Starbucks Cold Brew and vanilla, topped with pumpkin cream cold foam, and a dusting of pumpkin spice topping, creating notes of cocoa that "re perfectly complemented by flavors of vanilla and real pumpkin which results in a smooth, well-rounded beverage that balances the flavors of the season without being overly sweet."

"With customer excitement for PSL sweeping the nation each fall, we wanted to create a new beverage that combines two of our customers' favorite things, pumpkin spices and cold brew," Matthew Thornton, from Starbucks beverage R&D team, said in a press release. "With each sip of Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, you'll enjoy the familiar, creamy, flavor of pumpkin spice followed by a refreshing taste of cold brew, for a cool beverage that will have you wishing it was fall all year long."

The new beverage is available in Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada for a limited time alongside other fall favorites, including the Salted Caramel Mocha and the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

The PSL, available as both hot, iced or as a Frappuccino, first debuted on the Starbucks menu in 2004 after getting its start just a year earlier in a research and development lab at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle by Peter Dukes. The beverage was created through a series of extensive taste tests in which taste testers took bites of real pumpkin pies followed by sips of espresso to hone in on the best flavors to highlight.

The drink had initially been given the name the Fall Harvest Latte before it was officially dubbed the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Since its debut, more than 424 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes have been served in the United States alone, Starbucks reports.

The Tuesday, Aug. 27 return of the PSL marks the earliest date that it has hit the menu in its 16-year history. Last year, the Pumpkin Spice Latte made its return on Aug. 28, and in 2017, it didn't roll out until September.