Original Starbucks store at 1912 Pike Place on July 5, 2014 in Seattle.
Staff Reporter
Original Starbucks store at 1912 Pike Place on July 5, 2014 in Seattle.
(The Center Square) – It seems to happen earlier every year: the availability of pumpkin spice lattes.
With fall a month away, the leaves haven’t even begun turning colors yet. But in Washington state, many residents are already excited about the coffee drink made with a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, steamed milk, and often sugar, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice.
At least that’s what a recent analysis of Google search data by Bid-on-equipment.com, an online marketplace for used industrial machinery and equipment, found in naming Washington the most pumpkin spice latte-obsessed state in the nation.
The study notes this “makes sense since Starbucks was founded in Seattle! Washington is known for perfect PSL weather, too, with many rainy days in the fall.”
The pumpkin spice latte is commonly associated with the coffee giant, which first offered the seasonal drink in 2003.
This year’s Starbucks’ fall menu, including the pumpkin spice latte, reportedly begins on Aug. 30, which is actually a bit later than last year when the pumpkin spice latte was added to the Starbucks menu on Aug. 24.
The study also ranked cities’ obsession with pumpkin spice lattes, with a somewhat surprising result: Seattle came in second place as the most pumpkin spice latte-crazed city in America.
The Emerald City was beat out by Minneapolis, Minnesota for the top spot.
According to the report, “With blistering cold winter storms, it’s no wonder those in Minneapolis want to curl up with a comforting PSL as the cooler weather sets in.”
The iconic and divisive beverage – more than two-thirds of Americans think August is too early to launch the drink – has been a boon to Starbucks.
Data analytics provider Bloomberg Second Measure called it the “PSL effect” in a September 2021 story.
“In 2021, Starbucks experienced a noticeable uptick in sales the week including August 24, with sales increasing 10 percent week-over-week,” the story said. “After summer sales remained relatively flat, the week of August 24 represented the biggest jump in weekly sales since spring. Similarly, Starbucks sales increased 8 percent week-over-week when the PSL returned to menus in 2020 and increased 6 percent week-over-week in 2019.”
At about the same time last year, Yahoo Finance reported that Ad Age estimated that Starbucks has sold about 500 million pumpkin spice lattes since 2003, or nearly 28 million drinks every year.
The 10 most pumpkin spice latte-obsessed states in the country:
1. Washington
2. California
3. Colorado
4. Oregon
5. Illinois
6. Texas
7. Virginia
8. Arizona
9. Hawaii
10. Nevada
The 10 least pumpkin spice latte-obsessed states in the country:
50. Mississippi
49. Maine
48. Louisiana
47. Vermont
46. Alabama
45. West Virginia
44. Oklahoma
43. New Hampshire
42. Wyoming
41. Rhode Island
Staff Reporter
Brett Davis reports on Washington state government for The Center Square. He previously worked for public policy organizations the Freedom Foundation and Washington Farm Bureau, as well as various community newspapers.
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