For Starbucks enthusiasts, pumpkin spice season is likely the most anticipated event of the fall. So much so that baristas quake in their boots when the orange-y puree starts showing up at their store come late August. What many don’t expect, however, is for their pumpkin spice drinks to scar them emotionally, as one TikToker was unlucky enough to experience.
In a viral clip, Lulu (@lulu_bizu) shares a spine-chilling discovery she came across in her pumpkin spice latte. She shares multiple photos of what she found at the bottom of the beverage.
“@Starbucks can you please tell me what this is in my pumpkin spice latte?” she wrote in the text overlay over a photo of a solid, gooey substance at the end of a fork. It looks a bit gelatinous and rubbery, and downright gross.
“And why you offered me $50 when I submitted a complaint?” Lulu asked in another picture of the substance.
Lulu added in the caption, “I just wanna know what I ingested,” once again tagging the Starbucks TikTok account.
Viewers were horrified
Lulu’s clip earned over 84,000 views, with several folks gagging in the comments section. Many urged her to “get that bag,” aka file a lawsuit, while some tried to offer explanations on what the substance could be.
“As someone who works At Starbucks, I got no idea,” a user said. “Truly, I’m baffled. Whatever it is has to be from either unclean equipment, or cross contamination from an object brought by a barista.”
Others thought the same pumpkin spice topping was to blame.
One wrote, “I’m gonna agree with the pumpkin spice powder statements. it’s not the right color and too big to be from a dirty steam wand (it would have to be FUNKYYYY to produce that and they should be cleaned every day. the color and texture makes sense to be psl topping.”
Another speculated, “It’s from making a syrup using ground spruces (probably cinnamon). Not gonna hurt you, def gross.”
One user also echoed, “Looks like way too much pumpkin spice , mine does this at home the pumpkin spice seasoning sits at the bottom it’s not capable of dissolving and it creates a weird slime texture.”
Starbucks and strange toppings
This isn’t the first time the coffee chain has gone viral over customers finding odd stuff in their drinks. In one viral TikTok, a woman found a bug in her Refresher. Sometimes, it’s not even something gross like an insect, but something arguably worse. One woman found hard pieces of plastic inside her caramel frappuccino.
@lulu_bizu I just wanna know what I ingested ? @Starbucks ♬ WTHELLY – Rob49
The Mary Sue reached out to Lulu via TikTok direct message and to Starbucks via email.
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