Humor Series: October–The Pumpkin Spice Saga

History of October: The Pumpkin Spice Saga

Is Nothing Sacred?

Bill Petro
5 min readOct 1, 2024

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#PSL

October, the tenth month of the year in both the older Julian and the current Gregorian calendar, was the 8th month (Latin octo) in the ancient Roman calendar, but with the addition of January and February, it got bumped to #10.

This month is significant because, according to the modern Gregorian calendar, it is the first full month that enjoys Pumpkin Spice Latte, initially promoted by St. Starbucks.

Or at least that’s the way it’s supposed to be. But it has not always been so; in some years, it is not so.

Therein lies the saga of this coffee concoction.

Origin of Pumpkin Spice Latte

This concoction of caffeinated seasoned squash with super-heated supersaturated calcium lactose was originally socialized during the ancient part of this millennium, around 2003, when it was introduced as a seasonal beverage. Its formulation has not always been the same, however. In 2015 Starbucks added real pumpkin ingredients, a novel concept, and some artificial flavors and colors were eliminated.

Date of the release of Pumpkin Spice Latte

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Bill Petro

Writer, historian, technologist. Former Silicon Valley tech exec. Author of fascinating articles on history, tech, pop culture, & travel. https://billpetro.com