Starbucks unveils Pumpkin Spice Latte fall menu with new non-dairy customer favorite

The Pumpkin Spice Latte – and other fall favorites – will be making their way into Starbucks stores on Thursday, Aug. 22, the Seattle-based coffee chain announced on Wednesday. 

Starbucks' fall menu is "what many consider the unofficial start of the season," according to a news release from the company.

The menu is anchored by the "highly anticipated Pumpkin Spice Latte," which Starbucks has sold since 2003, it said. It is the chain's most popular seasonal beverage. 

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This year, Starbucks has added the "Iced Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai" to the menu. 

This new beverage was originally a "popular customer customization," Starbucks said, and "features warming spice flavors of chair combined with creamy oatmilk and topped with nondairy apple crisp cold foam." 

The drink, Starbucks said, is "reminiscent of homemade apple pie." 

Starbucks' fall drink menu is rounded out by returning items like Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato. The Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato is available hot and iced, Starbucks said. 

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Additionally, two beverages will be available to order only through the Starbucks app, the company noted: the Iced Caramel Apple Cream Latte and the Iced Honey Apple Almondmilk Flat White. 

The fall menu also features bakery items, including a new cake pop design, Starbucks said. 

The Raccoon Cake Pop is a combination of "vanilla cake and buttercream, dipped in chocolaty icing," Starbucks said, and designed to look like a raccoon. 

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The cake pop is joined by returning bakery items "Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin," "Baked Apple Croissant" and "Pumpkin and Pepita Loaf," the news release said. 

Like all seasonal items, Starbucks' fall menu will be available for a limited time, the release said.

FOX Business reached out to Starbucks for additional comment. 

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The "scarcity effect" around pumpkin-flavored items may be partially to blame for their popularity in the United States and beyond, Boston-based Matt Johnson, PhD, recently told Fox News Digital.

"Pumpkin spice is only available for a limited time, making it feel special," he said. "This seasonal exclusivity drives demand, leading brands to infuse everything from lattes to candles with the scent." 

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He added, "Our gustatory system is highly impressionable, and the associations between this flavor and the season create a powerful emotional response."

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This, combined with "brilliant marketing," has resulted in the flavor profile becoming a "cultural icon, deeply embedded in our collective experience of fall," he said. 

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"The flavor and scent [have] become inextricably tied to memories of fall, holidays and comforting traditions, creating an emotional connection that brands capitalize on."