PSL

Pumpkin spice refers to a mixture of spices that typically includes cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. But where’s the pumpkin? The term pumpkin spice has been given to this mix because it has been used in food that are also made with pumpkin (as in a purée), such as pies and cookies, since at least the 1930s. The mixture is sometimes referred to as pumpkin pie spice.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte—or PSL for short—was created in 2003 by Starbucks as a seasonal special. At the time, the drink did not contain any actual pumpkin, although the coffee giant has since added pumpkin purée to what it calls its Pumpkin Spice Sauce. Fans now eagerly await PSL season, a term some use to refer to the limited time during which the drink is on the coffee maker’s menu, which usually spans late August to late December. The PSL can be made hot or iced.

Welcome home, Pumpkin.
🍂 #PumpkinSpiceLatte and #PumpkinCreamColdBrew are back. 🍂 pic.twitter.com/nUaPHcwFK3

— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) August 25, 2020

The popularity of PSLs at Starbucks helped prompt others in the food industry to make pumpkin spice versions of their products. Every fall, many food companies and restaurants offer foods and snacks flavored with pumpkin spice. These pumpkin spice foods have included a wide variety of foods, such as Oreos, donuts, Cheerios, pretzels, ice cream, Jell-O, protein bars, and even dog treats. This onslaught of pumpkin spice foods has made the flavor into a popular joke for its perceived overuse. Still, the pumpkin spice flavor remains popular among many customers and highly profitable for many businesses, not just Starbucks.