Sweet and Sizzling: The Surprising 2024 Pumpkins Spice Latte Price Increase

Starbucks Ushers in Autumn with Early Release of Pumpkin Spice Latte

With baristas already slinging pumpkin spice lattes as of Thursday, Starbucks has ushered in the start of autumn an entire month early.

Pumpkin Spice Latte’s Surprising Impact on the Coffee Chain

This year is the soonest the Seattle-based coffee chain has released its famous seasonal drink, and inflation-weary Americans are sure to notice its price. A hot, 16-ounce — that’s “grande” in Starbucks lingo — pumpkin spice latte now costs $6.50, according to average menu prices across several U.S. cities.

The Backlash Against Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Since its creation in 2003, the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove-infused Starbucks latte has rocketed in popularity, spurring copycats, candles and offshoots like pumpkin cream cold brew and pumpkin-flavored chai. The drink has also sparked a lot of backlash, becoming a lightning rod of public disdain over seasonal creep, overconsumption and capitalism in general.

A Decade of Defiance

“I will be subject to its tyranny no longer,” Last Week Tonight host John Oliver proclaimed in a 2014 tirade against the drink. “It stops here.”

Pumpkin Spice Latte Remains Starbucks’ Most Popular Seasonal Beverage

The PSL, as fans refer to the drink, remains Starbucks’ most popular seasonal beverage, the company said in a news release Wednesday. And Starbucks relies on it to get people in the door: A week after PSL’s launch in 2019, store traffic increased 14%, according to the business-intelligence firm Placer.ai.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Prices Over the Years

Money charted the cost of the PSL over the past two decades, finding that as the drink’s popularity exploded, so did its price.