This month marks two decades since the launch of one of Starbucks's most popular drinks: the pumpkin spice latte.
First made available to the public in 2003 in a handful of North American cafes in Vancouver and Washington, the caffeinated beverage started off as part of a focal group experiment. One in which it did not score highly, incidentally.
Hunting for new flavours
The coffee chain's then-product manager, Peter Dukes, spent months developing new seasonal drinks in the Starbucks laboratory in 2002. Despite the pumpkin-flavoured drink not being the most popular in internal testing out of the 10 created, it was chosen as the company’s new product based on the belief there was nothing else like it on the market.
Fast-forward 20 years, and loyal Starbucks customers eagerly await the return of the autumnal drink. And this year is no different.
Pop appeal
Since distribution across the US began in 2003, the mix of pumpkin-spice sauce, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin-pie topping (for the first two years, the original recipe didn't contain any real pumpkin) was deemed an instant hit.
In 2014, Starbucks said it had sold 200 million pumpkin spice lattes that year alone. The PSL – as fans call it – became such an Instagrammable trend that there was the inevitable backlash and it became a sign of being “basic”, along with wearing Ugg boots and enjoying avocado toast.
The drink, which has its own Instagram account, has now grown to become a cultural signifier that summer is over and autumn has begun – or, for our part of the world, that it's finally set to get cooler.
Forbes estimated that the PSL was bringing in more than $100 million of revenue each season and its global success – with sales in more than 50 countries – has inevitably created a pumpkin market as other brands aim to cash in on the trend.
McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts and other fast-food chains have all launched their own pumpkin-flavoured drinks, while products as diverse as candles, hand soap and even deodorant have been given the pumpkin-spice treatment.
Ingredient check
Starbucks says the official ingredients at present are “pumpkin and traditional fall spice flavours combined with espresso and steamed milk, topped with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice”. The key to why people crave the drink, then, is not only the hit of caffeine, but also the combination of sugar, fat and a dash of salt.
A grande PSL contains 14 grams of fat, 8g of which is saturated fat accounting for 40 per cent of a person's recommended daily total. The 240mg of sodium accounts for a tenth of your daily requirement, and that's paired with 50g of sugar – which is about four tablespoons. That combination creates a reaction in your brain that several studies indicate mimics a rush that's comparable to some drugs, with a trifecta of ingredients that humans are evolutionarily hard-wired to crave. It also contains up to 380 calories, which is the same as about four bags of crisps.
Of course nobody, least of all Starbucks, is suggesting that the PSL is a health drink. It’s that combination of ingredients that tastes good.
At-home pumpkin spice latte recipe
Ingredients
600ml water
1 tbsp of ground nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks
15g fresh ginger – sliced or whole
250g caster sugar
100g canned pumpkin
Method
1. Add the fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks and nutmeg to the water
2. Bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes – keep the lid on, to ensure the liquid does not reduce too much. It will smell very autumnal, very quickly!
3. Take the pot off the heat and strain the mixture through a clean cloth, tea towel or a coffee strainer into a bowl to make sure there are no bits or pieces of spice in the liquid
4. Clean the pot and put the strained spice liquid back in, then add the sugar and stir at low heat
5. When the sugar has dissolved, add the pureed pumpkin and mix well. This will take two to three minutes
6. When the bits of pumpkin have broken down, stop stirring and let the mixture simmer at medium heat until it thickens into a syrup – this will take 10 to 15 minutes
7. You know it's done when the mixture has a syrup-like thickness. It will be rich medium-brown in colour
8. When the syrup is ready, store it in an airtight container and add it to coffee at leisure.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETwig%20Solutions%20(with%20trade%20name%20Twig)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChafic%20Idriss%2C%20Karam%20El%20Dik%20and%20Rayan%20Antonios%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ebootstrapped%20(undisclosed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E13%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-seed%20%E2%80%94%20closing%20the%20round%20as%20we%20speak%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20senior%20executives%20from%20the%20GCC%20financial%20services%20industry%20and%20global%20family%20offices%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
LAST 16
SEEDS
Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus
PLUS
Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B