Posted on 10/08/2012 9:03:54 AM PDT by Altariel
Starbucks Fans Bemoan Shortage of Seasonal Favorite; Expressions in Haiku
For Asher Anidjar, the arrival of fall isn't marked by turning leaves or a chilly breeze, but a steaming seasonal drink. Recently, though, when he headed to his local Starbucks SBUX -0.04% for a Pumpkin Spice Latte, he left with a bitter taste in his mouth. They were out of the special sauce that gives the treat its distinctive autumnal flavor.
"I just left, depressed," said Mr. Anidjar, a 26-year-old commercial real-estate analyst who lives in Manhattan.
The drink crops up on the Starbucks menu annually for a limited time, and this year there has been an unusual run on the pumpkin batch. Thanks in part to a frothy dose of buzz brewed up by the Seattle-based coffee giant before the beverage's Sept. 4 debut, the craze has drained supplies at stores across the country.
Baristas are hitting the street, searching for stashes of the flavored sauce at other stores. Customers denied their fixwhich costs about $4 for a small cup, or "tall" in Starbucks speakare tweeting about their dismay.
"My world almost ended this morning when the local Starbucks told me they were out of Pumpkin Spice Latte," tweeted Jason Sizemore, 38 years old, of Lexington, Ky.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
wah! wah! wah! it’s just a coffee for crying out loud!
Actually it's a cup of flavored sugar and bears little, if any, resemblance to coffee.
I have never been in a Starbucks. It was just that I never happened to be around one but now it is a matter of principles.
“wah! wah! wah! its just a coffee for crying out loud!”
Life is bad, and then you die...
Depressed over a cup of coffee, WTF is wrong with this stupid SOB.
somebody ought to tell these self indulgent, overaged adolescents to grow up.
Actually they were giving away liitle samples of this pumpkin latte years ago, and I took a sip and LITERALLY wanted a cigarette!! I hadn't smoked in years but something triggered and I immediately threw the latte away. Never had that feeling since.
Cry me a river!
STARBUCKS PUMPKIN SPICED LATTE / allrecipes.com / makes three servings

Blender 3 cups hot whole milk, 4 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tea supermarket pumpkin pie spice.
Pour the mixture into 3 coffee mugs to about 2/3 full. Pour 2 ounces dble-strength coffee into each mug. Garnish each mug with whipped topping and pumpkin pie spice.
Add some cinnamon graham crackers on the side.
You didn’t miss anything you can get better coffee at McDonalds.
Promise of autumn,
O dearest pumpkin latte!
"Out"?? I kill myself.
I don’t like pumpkin anything - except my own homemade pumpkin pie, of course. This morning, I heard two people at the gym talking about pumpkin beer...urp! They said it tasted just like pumpkin pie, which they seemed to think was a good thing.
Pumpkin kimchi is wonderful...kind of hard to find in the US, though
Cruel fate of fall,
Not a lotta latte left--
Frothing at the mouth.
Yes, I imagine pumpkin kimchi would be hard to find here. I used to live near a Korean grocery in New York where they received a kimchi delivery once a week - and when the truck pulled up and they opened its gate, people a block away knew it!
But it’s probably good. Pumpkin is pretty bland otherwise. That’s why pumpkin pie is so heavily spiced.
Maybe Starbuck’s could put this great haiku on their seasonal cups? I think you missed a calling...
Obama’s fault
We spent a couple of weeks this August driving the Oregon Trail through Wyoming, reading pioneer diaries, looking at exhibits. I came away knowing that I need never whine again.
These guys need to hit the Hard Edge of Reality in a really bad way. Probably voted for Obama? Have they no LIVES??
You wanted a cigarette? Must have been REALLY good LOL!
Serve it with a piece of bacon. Yum, I kid you not!
Horror of Horrors-
No more Pumpkin-spiced Latte!
The world ends, for some
I’m thinking pumpkin beer is kind of sweet and dessert spicy? I guess that could work with a piece of bacon!
The idea of a pumpkin latte SEEMS so cozy and delicious to me, because I love both coffee and the fall season. “Seems” is the keyword, though. I hate Starbucks coffee, but I gave in to the hype and bought a pumpkin latte once. The thing was so sickeningly, syrupy sweet I almost gagged, and ended up pouring it out. I bet the calorie and carb count of the thing rivals that of a couple of huge slices of cake with frosting.
I dont like pumpkin anything - except my own homemade pumpkin pie, of course. This morning, I heard two people at the gym talking about pumpkin beer...urp! They said it tasted just like pumpkin pie, which they seemed to think was a good thing.
<><><><
Their taste buds are broken.
None of the pumpkin ales I’ve had (and I try a few new ones each year, and have for a number of years now) are anywhere close to pumpkin pie. A hint of pumpkin (more or less) served with a nice bitter hoppiness.
I assume they make this comparison to pumpkin pie because they have no other basis for comparison.
Probably Obama voters.
Try one at Caribou coffee instead (extra bonus - you can use the words small medium and large instead of Starbucks speak).
The coffee is better and I don’t remember it being cloyingly sweet.
Thanks, dmz-—I wish we had one of those around here. If we did, I’d definitely try it.
Oh, how I HATE that “grande” bullcrap at Starbucks.
Wow. Someone needs to get a life.
“I just left, depressed,”
&&&
I this crybaby needs a lot more than a latte.
McDonald’s coffee got a very high ranking in “Consumer Reports” some months ago.
I buy a cup of coffee so seldom that I really don’t have much of a basis for comparison, but I am pretty sure the 12-oz cup I bought yesterday at my grocery store for $0.89 was a good deal.
“... I took a sip and literally wanted a cigarette!!”
It was that good, was it?! (chuckle, chuckle)
MMMMMM Starbuck’s Pumpkin Latte. Worth every penny!
(Flame suit on)
Um, no. "Tall" is "regular". Starbucks does, in fact, have a "short" aka "small" cup at a lower price which is available on request, albeit not announced. If the store doesn't have it, they will often apologize and give you a "tall" at the same price.
Nice. Will spring it on m’lady tomorrow.
Not sure how one makes “dble-strength” coffee. Then again, you can in fact stand a spoon in my “regular” black coffee.
You got me curious. 16oz. is 310 calories and 49 grams of carbs. More carbs than I eat in most meals.
I meant bacon with the pie. But then, bacon with anything is bound to be good.
Mmmmm.....you’re gonna be a hit with this.
Dble strngth coffee? When brewing use dble amount of coffee grains you usually use.
My easy way-—I buy the Folger’s tubes of instant coffee-—then add a tube to whatever coffee I’m drinking-—gives a nice jolt of Joe.
The tubes are handy to keep in a purse, computer case, etc.
It was REALLY good!!!!
Awesome recipie I’m going to have to look up the egg nog latte which is my face.
49!
Same here. That’s more than a meal for me.
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