In 2003, the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL, for short) appeared on the menu of around a hundred Starbucks coffee shops. In Canada, to taste this novelty being tested, you have to go to Vancouver. From the first week, the managers of the stores concerned were very enthusiastic about the customer response. Building on this success, the following fall, the pumpkin spice latte was offered in all of the chain’s establishments.
In 20 years, Starbucks has sold more than 600 million pumpkin spice lattes.
Unusual, but true! The term pumpkin spice entered the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2022. The definition? “A mixture usually consisting of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and other spices that are normally used in pumpkin pie. » To find a reference to latte, you must read the different examples that follow the definition.
Revenues associated with pumpkin-flavored products sold in the United States in 2022, according to NIQ Group market research. Among these products, we find, of course, candles, but also hummus and even… deodorant!
In the last two decades, many independent coffee shops have followed in Starbucks’ footsteps to offer their own version of this classic. At Feuilleté Café, which opened in July on rue de Bellechasse, in Montreal, it was natural to offer this perfume requested by customers. “I think it’s a fall staple. The spices come to comfort people when it starts to get a little colder,” says Frédérique Lévesque, who is at the head of this friendly establishment with her partner Joshua De Gagné. As she did in the summer for her elderberry lemonade, she developed the house syrup served in pumpkin spice lattes (and other caffeinated drinks, if desired). A taste that goes very well with the many delicacies offered in this café where small cakes and pastries take pride of place, the two entrepreneurs having degrees in pastry from the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec. But at Feuilleté Café, pumpkin is not the only fall star. An apple cinnamon latte is also available. “I like it even more than pumpkin spice,” confides Frédérique Lévesque.
In 2003, what other flavors were in the running to become Starbucks’ fall seasonal drink? Caramel, chocolate, orange and cinnamon were among the finalists.
It’s only since 2015, 12 years after its launch, that the popular Starbucks drink has contained… pumpkin puree. During its creation, the team responsible tasted slices of pumpkin pie followed by a sip of espresso to see which flavors of the dessert went best with the coffee, we explain in a press release from the ‘business. Well ! pumpkin was not the dominant taste. In the revised 2015 recipe, the caramel coloring was replaced with “real Kabocha squash” puree.
But is pumpkin really necessary in a spiced latte? To this question, the Saint-Henri microtorréfacteur team answers no. “Basically, pumpkin adds little to this drink, other than color. […] It’s not the pumpkin taste that people like,” analyzes Jean-Yves Beaudoin, vice-president of marketing for the company. Thus was born the “pumpkin-free” latte that has recently been found in the various branches of Café Saint-Henri, located in Montreal and Quebec. “We wanted to make a comforting drink, with turmeric, ginger, cinnamon,” he explains, specifying that the team worked on its homemade syrups with the Montreal company 3/4 oz. What is the customer response to this “pumpkin-free” latte? “They realize it’s just as good, if not better! » To launch its new pumpkin-free fall menu, the company published a rather comical pumpkin destruction video on social media!
Want to make a comforting pumpkin spice latte? Frédérique Lévesque, from Feuilleté Café, suggests you try the following syrup recipe.
