Colorado Springs coffee drinkers will not have to wait until the calendar turns to September to get their fall flavor fix. Both Dunkin' and Starbucks are launching seasonal menus this month, kicking off what has become an annual late-summer ritual for pumpkin spice enthusiasts.
Fall flavor fans can sip on a pumpkin-flavored drink first when it returns to Dunkin's menu on August 19, the company announced on its social platforms. All the new fall eats and drinks will arrive at Starbucks locations nationwide on August 25.
The Starbucks lineup goes well beyond its signature offering this year. In addition to the Pumpkin Spice Latte, which combines espresso and steamed milk with pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and whipped cream topping, Starbucks is bringing back some familiar fall favorites and new additions to the fall menu. An expanded lineup of pumpkin drinks, including the new Iced Pumpkin Cream Shaken Espresso, Pumpkin Spice Chai and Iced Pumpkin Cream Matcha will be available. Returning pumpkin treats, including the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew, Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai and Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino will also be on the menu.
Pumpkin is not the only flavor anchoring the Starbucks fall menu. Pecan favorites, including the Pecan Cortado, Iced Pecan Crunch Latte and Pecan Crunch Latte will be back. Brand new this season is a lineup of banana beverages inspired by freshly baked banana bread: the Iced Banana Bread Latte and Iced Banana Bread Chai. But what will likely be the most anticipated new beverage is the Chaider, which combines cider and chai tea spices in hot and iced drinks.
On the food side, the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin will return, alongside a new Chicken Bacon Protein Pocket and a new Hedgehog Cake Pop.
Pumpkin Spice has been Starbucks' most popular seasonal beverage, even having the word added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2022. The seasonal menu launch dates for local Dunkin' and Starbucks locations have not been separately confirmed by those individual stores, and it remains to be seen how long the limited fall offerings will remain available.