Who Invented The Pumpkin Spice Latte?

The flavor and scent of sweet pumpkin spice has the ability to strike an emotional chord in our memories, so it makes sense that pumpkin pie is a favorite, highly anticipated seasonal dessert, especially around Thanksgiving. The same is true for returning pumpkin spice products in the fall, like the pumpkin spice latte. People flock to coffee shops when it makes its first annual appearance, which gets earlier every year. But who do we have to thank for this delicious phenomenon?

Starbucks' Peter Dukes — the director of espresso when the company launched the pumpkin spice latte (PSL) in 2003 — is credited with inventing the pumpkin spice latte but wasn't the first to pair pumpkin spice flavors with coffee. In fact, the first reference of people using pumpkin to make a beverage comes from "A Description of the New Netherlands" by Adriaen van der Donck, written in the 1600s. It wasn't until the 1930s and food industrialization, though, that pumpkin and pumpkin spice-related foods spiked in popularity with McCormick mass-producing a blend of spices in 1934.

However, possibly the first known reference of using pumpkin spice in coffee didn't come until 1980, when it was recommended as a sugar substitute in the Montreal Gazette. Then, in the 1990s, some coffee roasters started experimenting with flavoring coffee using pumpkin spice. Among them was Fasig's Coffee, which started experimenting in fall 1997 but didn't see it catch on until the early 2000s — around the same time that Starbucks released its PSL.

The blend of spices that constitute pumpkin spice and are added to lattes have varied over the years. For starters, Amelia Simmons provided two recipes in her 1796 cookbook "American Cookery" for a "pompkin" pudding that featured variations of cream or milk, pumpkin, and a blend of molasses or sugar, allspice or mace, and ginger and/or nutmeg. When McCormick made its first blend in the 1930s, it consisted of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. The company has added sulfiting agents as preservatives since then.

Similarly, the ingredients in Starbucks' PSLs have changed since its debut. The recipe originally consisted of espresso, steamed milk, and pumpkin spice sauce, which didn't feature pumpkin at all, to the outrage of many customers. In 2015, the recipe for the Starbucks' pumpkin spice sauce was changed to include pumpkin purée, water, sugar, and a blend of spices — cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. While the coffee chain is at the center of the PSL's popularity, it's not the only one to offer this taste of fall in a cup.

On the other hand, you don't have to go to a coffee shop to get a PSL. You can make your own at home with the right pumpkin spice latte recipe. Additionally, canned pumpkin purée and coffee is all PSL lovers need for a quick fix. Just blend a little with milk and spices, pour it into your cup of joe, and add sweetener to taste. Don't forget to top it with whipped cream and a dusting of spices.