Does Your Pumpkin Spice Latte Taste Different This Year? Here’s Why
It’s that time of year when you know fall has officially started because pumpkin spice everything has made its return. Most importantly, Starbucks is serving its iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) once again.
If you’ve already indulged in your first PSL of the season, then you might’ve noticed it tasted a bit different than you remember. Good thing is that you aren’t crazy and Starbucks really did change their recipe, however, some people are saying they hate the new pumpkin spice sauce.
According to a couple of videos posted online, the new recipe isn’t as strong as the old one. After asking for their usual 5 pumps of pumpkin spice in their drink, it hardly tasted like anything.
As far as we know, the changes made to the sauce involved swapping out artificial colors and flavors for natural ingredients, including actually pumpkin puree instead of artificial flavoring. This seems like it should have been a great thing but apparently ended up being poorly executed. And disappointing many long-term fans.
Another thing many PSL fans are pointing out is that the recipe doesn’t actually include any ‘spice’. The ingredients of the new recipe include sugar, condensed skim milk, pumpkin puree, two percent or less of fruit and vegetable juice for color, natural flavors, annatto (color), potassium sorbate (preservative), and salt. Where is the ‘spice’?
I don’t know about you, but I think the best part of pumpkin spice is all the warm flavors of the cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg that make it so delicious. Imagine making a pumpkin pie with no spice. It wouldn’t be good at all. So, why is there no spice in the pumpkin SPICE sauce?
All we can hope for is that they make the necessary changes to bring back the flavor PSL fans know and love. I’ll also have my fingers crossed that they eventually make their recipe vegan friendly too, because vegans deserve to enjoy a PSL just like everyone else.