Meet fall’s new flavor: Starbucks Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte
Starbucks cozy new Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte tastes like fall, bringing together pecan flavors, baking spices and rich brown buttery notes with the soft, beautifully balanced flavors of Starbucks Blonde Espresso. You can practically hear the crunching leaves.
But it didn’t start this way. Patrick Penny, lead beverage developer for Starbucks, said the idea for a pecan beverage was born when the team was brainstorming ideas for a new holiday beverage while interviewing more than 40 baristas and store managers around the country.
“We were really focused on what people are thinking, feeling, and doing during the holidays,” Penny said. “We asked questions like, where are you going? What inspires joy? How could Starbucks play a role in uplifting your day during the season?
To create the beverage, Penny turned to his own memories of his grandmother’s homemade pecan pie. After dozens of tests, he and the team settled on a fully nondairy recipe for the Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte, made with a nutty taste and aroma with savory brown buttery notes that complement the flavors of Starbucks Blonde Espresso. It’s topped with a creamy cap of oatmilk foam in the hot version, and a nondairy vanilla sweet cream cold foam on the iced beverage. Both are finished with a few shakes of sweet and savory pecan crunch topping.
“The flavors in this latte evoke memories of the smell of freshly baked pecan pie, but also the warmth and connection of moments at home with family and friends,” he said.
During the testing phase, consumers loved the new drink but felt it was more connected to fall than the holiday season. While gathering feedback, Penny remembers they kept saying, “Oh, I could see this on a walk in the park on a crisp day with autumn leaves.”
Starbucks decided to introduce the beverage in September, the month the season of fall officially starts. The Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte joins seasonal favorites such as the iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte and Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato.
“It’s fitting to these cooler days and feels like the perfect transition from classic fall beverages into holiday beverages,” Penny said. “We’ve got pumpkin, we’ve got apple, and now we’ve got pecan. It’s the ‘pie-fecta!’”
Here is the lineup of Pecan Crunch beverages in U.S. stores starting tomorrow (Sept. 19) for a limited time while supplies last:
Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte
Made with Starbucks® Blonde Espresso and oatmilk, this fall beverage has layers of flavor including notes of nutty pecan, rich brown butter and holiday baking spices, and is finished off with a pecan crunch topping.
Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte
Nutty flavors of pecan, rich brown buttery notes and holiday baking spices come together with Starbucks® Blonde Espresso, ice and oatmilk for a smooth, flavorful treat, topped with nondairy Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam and pecan crunch topping.
Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam
Salted Pecan Cream Cold Foam offers customers another way to customize their favorite beverage with a sweet and salty fall twist! This cold foam is made with pecan syrup and salt. Available as dairy or nondairy.
Fall is in the Air with Starbucks and Delta
Starbucks and Delta Air Lines are surprising travelers with a first sip of the Iced Pecan Crunch Oatmilk Latte before it becomes available at Starbucks stores nationwide.
Delta travelers flying through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and LaGuardia Airport on Sept. 18 will be among the first to taste the new drink. This pop-up tasting is just another benefit of Starbucks loyalty partnership with Delta, giving members of Starbucks® Rewards and Delta SkyMiles new opportunities to maximize rewards and unlock unique experiences.
