Revelations

Pumpkin-Spice Lattes Almost Never Happened

'Tis the season.
’Tis the season. Photo: Courtesy of Starbucks

Starbucks almost nixed the now-ubiquitous PSL flavor during the R&D; phase because “it was a beverage so dominated by a flavor other than coffee that it didn’t put Starbucks’ coffee in the best light.” The flavor profile was too easy to copy, and besides, chocolate-caramel and cinnamon-spice flavors went over much better with taste testers. Imagine that: There’s a parallel world out there with just as many Starbucks locations, but they don’t serve pumpkin-spice lattes. Other than that, this world is completely identical to ours, because it’s just a syrupy coffee drink, after all. Right? [QZ]

Pumpkin-Spice Lattes Almost Never Happened