Customers in Japan have been waiting 15 years for this moment.

Every time a new season rears its head on the calendar, you can bet Starbucks is one step ahead of it with a brand new limited-edition offering on the menu.

Now that autumn is just around the corner, customers in Japan will be treated to a special set of drinks, and this time it won’t be anything like the Witch and Princess Frappuccinos from 2018 or the Masquerade Party drinks from 2019.

Because this year, Japan will finally be able to enjoy the one drink that’s been eluding them for 15 years. The drink that screams “Autumn!”, or rather, “Fall!” for Starbucks customers overseas. And that drink is the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

 ▼ As soon as Starbucks made the announcement on Twitter yesterday, their tweet went viral with over 22,000 likes and 7,000 retweets.

This is big news for customers in Japan, who only got a fleeting taste of the famous Starbucks latte for a short time in 2006. As U.S. customers will know, seeing as they’ve been enjoying the drink since 2003, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is “a harmony of pumpkin puree with pumpkin spice flavour“, containing ingredients like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves to help conjure up the taste of a freshly baked pumpkin pie.

 ▼ Both the hot and cold versions contain espresso and milk, with a sprinkling of nutmeg and a whipped cream topping for rich and creamy flavour.

Over at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo, there’ll be another surprise on the menu for customers, as they’ll be offering a new Autumn Spice Oat Latte inspired by the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

This special beverage combines cinnamon and allspice, the key flavours of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, with Starbucks Reserve Coffee espresso, a unique, high-quality blend roasted onsite at the Tokyo Roastery. Oat milk and a touch of pumpkin puree is added, along with a topping of green pumpkin seed pieces, to create a warming beverage with a gentle aroma and spicy sweetness that’s perfect for autumn.

Both new drinks will go on sale from 1 September, with the Pumpkin Spice Latte on the menu until 31 October, or until stocks last, in short through to Venti sizes ranging in price from 462-579 yen (US$4.20-$5.27) for takeout and 470-590 yen for dine-in customers.

The Autumn Spice Oat Latte will only be sold at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery Tokyo until 11 November, or until stocks last, with both hot and cold versions available in one size only, priced at 972 yen for takeout and 990 yen for dine-in customers.

And while we’re not saying there’s any connection between the two events, it is interesting to note that the Pumpkin Spice Latte is making its return to Japan just after the country’s most famous pumpkin was washed out to sea.

Source, images: Starbucks
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