She Killed Three People with Poisonous Mushrooms. Did She Mean To?

Your favorite fall flavors are back at Starbucks. The one and only Pumpkin Spice Latte and the deliciously smooth Iced Pecan Crunch Latte have arrived and are ready to sip all season long. Or find a new favorite, like the new Iced Banana Bread Latte that tastes just like fall in a cup. You can find your favorite taste of fall only at Starbucks. Basically, when, you know, she speaks to police, she's seemingly as baffled as they are. About why these three lunch guests have died and another one's, you know, on death's door. And yet she's fine. Today I'm talking with Nino Bucci. He's a justice and courts reporter at Guardian Australia. And last year, he covered a trial there that made international headlines. A case that involved poisonous mushrooms. Back in July 2023, a woman called Erin Patterson hosted. Her parents-in-law and also their relatives. So, her auntie and uncle of her husband at her house, which was on a piece of land in country Victoria, which is sort of one of the southernmost mainland state in Australia. And she invited them around for Saturday lunch, a lunch of beef Wellington. Erin said, didn't give a reason exactly for the lunch, but basically wanted to talk to them. talk to them about something. And she was in this quite new house. So, you know, they came around. Most of them hadn't been there before. It was quite an unusual thing for her to invite them all over. And she showed them around a beautiful house, did what people normally do when they have people over for lunch and fussed a little about plating up. And then eventually they all sat around her dining room table and had a beef wellington. You said that her in-laws were there, but was her husband there? No. So, her and Simon were estranged at that time. Simon didn't live there. He'd actually been invited to the lunch and cancelled late the night before. So, he wasn't there. And, you know, his absence was something that, as this sort of went on, became somewhat more interesting. So, you said they were having beef wellington. This seemed like a kind of a proper Saturday lunch. For people who don't know what beef wellington is, what is beef wellington? Sure. So, there's a few different ways around it. And, you know, effectively what it is, though, is a piece of beef wrapped in pastry. So, this particular version that Erin was making was from quite a well-known Australian chef. Her version is not sort of one big log of beef, as is traditional, wrapped up in pastry. But Erin sort of made single bits of beef wrapped up in pastry. And there was, you know, quite importantly in this case, between the beef and the pastry, there was a mushroom mix that was placed in there, sautéed down mushrooms that were sort of, you know, put on top of the meat before the whole thing was wrapped up in little individual parcels. So, each of those lunch guests had in front of them, effectively, a little individually made parcel of beef, mushrooms on top, wrapped in pastry. So, they sat down, they had their beef wellington, and what happened next? Well, the discussion continued. They were, at that point, Erin was sort of raising concerns she had about cancer. You know, they then realized that was why she invited them all around there to talk about her cancer diagnosis. But, you know, it ended the way most of these lunches ended. Everyone was sort of, you know, waxing lyrical about the meal, very glad to have been there, hopped off in their car, and went home. So, everyone leaves after lunch, goes on their own way. And then what happens? So, later that night, the lunch guests start to fall ill. And they fall ill with symptoms that are quite similar to, you know, acute food poisoning or gastroenteritis. There's, you know, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps. They all think, basically, you know, they've eaten something bad. And when it becomes clear that it's all people who are at Erin's place for lunch, they assume it's something they've eaten that day, that they've potentially all had a bad piece of meat, for example. But as it kind of went from, you know, the early hours into, you know, dawn, they realized that we really need to get ourselves to hospital here because of how violently unwell they were. They went there into, you know, the emergency department. Started receiving treatment, but it became pretty clear pretty quickly that things weren't getting any better. And eventually, they were sort of rushed off to bigger hospitals in Melbourne. How quickly did the doctors figure out that this wasn't just regular food poisoning? Yeah, it took a while. There was some stuff about their presentation and about, I guess, their liver function and the function of other major diseases. They started sort of treating them as a presumptive case of that fairly early on, even before that was sort of, you know, actually evacuated to those bigger hospitals. And it became, you know, obviously once that was the presumptive diagnosis, they were really concerned that these people might not survive. What happens to the body when you eat death cap mushrooms? Yeah, it's quite horrific, really. And it's. Effectively, you know, it's quite a slow and painful process for which there's very little that can be done. And something that really stuck in my mind that was particularly sort of frightening about the people that kind of eat death cap mushrooms is that, you know, you go through this process of really intense symptoms of, you know, vomiting, diarrhea, exactly as you would when you've got, you know, really bad food poisoning. It's this kind of period where it eases off. And a lot of people who are suffering kind of think, you know, they're kind of getting better. But what's actually happening at that point is that it's this, you know, the organs have failed to such a point that they're not even doing that anymore. You know, there's such a relentless sort of progressive and frightening deterioration of everything that even though symptoms stop, but that doesn't mean you're getting any better. It in fact means you've, you know, almost progressed to the point where you're beyond saving. And I found that quite. Horrifying. Once the group gets to the hospital and they realize, Erin Patterson, the woman who had, how they'd been at, she also comes to the hospital complaining of stomach issues. Yeah, so more than a day after the others, Erin also goes to hospital. She's not as unwell, but she's also, you know, half their age and, you know, somewhat healthier. So, you know, yeah, she's sick, but she's not as bad. I mean, she walks in, for example, as opposed to having to be, you know, taken there by ambulance is a kind of fair indicator of the difference between the two. And she also, somewhat strangely, you know, at this point, they're fairly confident that it is death cap mushroom poisoning. And so, you know, the local hospital, when she comes in a farm or alive to the prospect, this could be. Something really serious than they were when her other lunch guests came in, you know, more than a day earlier. So, they basically say, hey, you got to come in here straight away. And she actually leaves. She leaves the hospital, says she's got stuff to take care of at home and kind of comes back later on, which again, you know, was something that people at the hospital found unusual at the time, but also was very different to how the lunch guests were reacting to that poisoning. What happened? What happened to everyone who got sick? So, of those four people who became terribly unwell after eating beef, Wellington and Erin Patterson's house, three died. And the only survivor was Ian Wilkinson. He spent months in intensive care. You know, he was in an induced coma for large parts of that. And, you know, still sort of to this day, you know, we're almost three years on now, sort of has ongoing. Health complications from that, from that meal. How quickly did the police launch? investigation after after the deaths by the time the family had been taken to that major hospital in Melbourne it's called the Austin Hospital they they do a lot of toxicological deaths poisonings that sort of thing by the time the family were there which was you know within days of the lunch police were looking at the case and you know by sort of November so sort of some four months after after that lunch Aaron Patterson was in fact charged with with those three murders and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson what did she tell police had happened so this is an interesting one because what Aaron Patterson did in her first interview was effectively kind of say look I don't know what's happened to you I have never gone foraging I have no reason to harm these people I was sick as well I bought the mushrooms from the supermarket and an Asian grocer beats me what's happened effectively you know but I've got no reason for to hurt them I love them and it could have been me you know the at a basic level that's what she's saying that story would change somewhat as as the sort of months rolled on but basically when you know she speaks to police she's seemingly as baffled as they are about why these three lunch guests have died and other ones you know on death's door and yet she's fine we'll be right back you I'd like to thank you all so much for joining us and we'll see you next time bye bye your favorite fall flavors are back at Starbucks the one and only pumpkin spice latte and the deliciously smooth iced pecan crunch latte have arrived and are ready to sip all season long or find a new favorite like the new iced banana bread latte that tastes just like fall in a cup you can find your favorite taste of fall only at Starbucks fall is here and that means you can find your favorite taste of fall only at fall is here and that means you can find your favorite taste of fall only at Starbucks Starbucks it's the one we've been waiting for so it's the one we've been waiting for so it's the one we've been waiting for so whether you're a fan of the original whether you're a fan of the original whether you're a fan of the original pumpkin spice latte or ready to mix it pumpkin spice latte or ready to mix it pumpkin spice latte or ready to mix it up with an iced pumpkin cream chai the up with an iced pumpkin cream chai the up with an iced pumpkin cream chai the new iced pumpkin cream matcha or the new iced pumpkin cream matcha or the new iced pumpkin cream matcha or the new iced pumpkin cream shaken espresso new iced pumpkin cream shaken espresso new iced pumpkin cream shaken espresso you can find your favorite taste of fall you can find your favorite taste of fall you can find your favorite taste of fall only at starbucks only at starbucks only at starbucks you said aaron patterson was estranged you said aaron patterson was estranged you said aaron patterson was estranged from her husband from her husband from her husband did she have a good i mean if she's did she have a good i mean if she's did she have a good i mean if she's having lunch with her in-laws even if having lunch with her in-laws even if having lunch with her in-laws even if her husband wasn't around did she have a her husband wasn't around did she have a her husband wasn't around did she have a good relationship with them as you might good relationship with them as you might good relationship with them as you might imagine in a case like this imagine in a case like this imagine in a case like this the question of what aaron's the question of what aaron's the question of what aaron's that seemed quite that seemed quite that seemed quite open and shut about that relationship open and shut about that relationship open and shut about that relationship could be interpreted in a number of ways could be interpreted in a number of ways could be interpreted in a number of ways i guess if you sort of think about i guess if you sort of think about i guess if you sort of think about for example for example for example she'd be there'd be text messages she'd be there'd be text messages she'd be there'd be text messages attended about conversations she was attended about conversations she was attended about conversations she was having just with him having just with him having just with him and they'd say maybe a little heated and and they'd say maybe a little heated and and they'd say maybe a little heated and you know there'd be discussions about you know there'd be discussions about you know there'd be discussions about you know you know you know speaking in quite a disparaging way about speaking in quite a disparaging way about speaking in quite a disparaging way about simon and his family so simon and his family so simon and his family so it is not easy to say what that it is not easy to say what that it is not easy to say what that relationship was like relationship was like relationship was like not only because of obviously what not only because of obviously what not only because of obviously what followed and the context in which we're followed and the context in which we're followed and the context in which we're learning about it being learning about it being learning about it being you know a triple murder trial but also you know a triple murder trial but also you know a triple murder trial but also because because because there was seemingly kind of two sides to there was seemingly kind of two sides to there was seemingly kind of two sides to to aaron and how she engaged with people to aaron and how she engaged with people to aaron and how she engaged with people about that about that about that relationship once the police relationship once the police relationship once the police initially interviewed aaron initially interviewed aaron initially interviewed aaron what happened with their investigation what happened with their investigation what happened with their investigation what else did they learn after what else did they learn after what else did they learn after interviewing her these interviews fairly interviewing her these interviews fairly interviewing her these interviews fairly early in investigation early in investigation early in investigation they've kind of been explained to me they've kind of been explained to me they've kind of been explained to me before by before by before by you know people in you know homicide you know people in you know homicide you know people in you know homicide squads and things like that is it's squads and things like that is it's squads and things like that is it's effectively effectively effectively a chance to get people to kind of hang a chance to get people to kind of hang a chance to get people to kind of hang themselves with their own rope themselves with their own rope themselves with their own rope so they're hoping that aaron is going to so they're hoping that aaron is going to so they're hoping that aaron is going to say enough say enough say enough about what happened at that lunch that about what happened at that lunch that about what happened at that lunch that they're going to be able to prove her they're going to be able to prove her they're going to be able to prove her wrong and she kind of wrong and she kind of wrong and she kind of did that there was enough that she gave did that there was enough that she gave did that there was enough that she gave away there away there away there to sort of indicate that what she was to sort of indicate that what she was to sort of indicate that what she was saying wasn't saying wasn't saying wasn't true part of that revolved around you true part of that revolved around you true part of that revolved around you know material i'd get later on from from know material i'd get later on from from know material i'd get later on from from her phone uh and other devices her phone uh and other devices her phone uh and other devices part of that was also around they were part of that was also around they were part of that was also around they were able to establish that she had able to establish that she had able to establish that she had dumped a food dehydrator at a local dumped a food dehydrator at a local dumped a food dehydrator at a local you know what we call it a tip in you know what we call it a tip in you know what we call it a tip in australia but basically like a dump australia but basically like a dump australia but basically like a dump they were basically able to put together they were basically able to put together they were basically able to put together these bits and pieces that contradicted these bits and pieces that contradicted these bits and pieces that contradicted very much what she said in that very much what she said in that very much what she said in that interview and if you kind of you know interview and if you kind of you know interview and if you kind of you know look at the timeline of that that look at the timeline of that that look at the timeline of that that interview interview interview sort of occurred you know that first sort of occurred you know that first sort of occurred you know that first interview occurred interview occurred interview occurred you know i think roughly about three you know i think roughly about three you know i think roughly about three months before she was actually charged months before she was actually charged months before she was actually charged so you know the police kind of went away so you know the police kind of went away so you know the police kind of went away and did a little bit more work and kind and did a little bit more work and kind and did a little bit more work and kind of of of were able to find in their mind enough were able to find in their mind enough were able to find in their mind enough to to sort of point to the fact that to to sort of point to the fact that to to sort of point to the fact that this wasn't this wasn't this wasn't some accidental death but that aaron some accidental death but that aaron some accidental death but that aaron patterson had patterson had patterson had had intended to kill these people when was had intended to kill these people when was had intended to kill these people when was she arrested she was arrested she was arrested she was arrested in charge of november of 2023 so so so there's a kind of four month period there's a kind of four month period there's a kind of four month period almost between that lunch and when she's almost between that lunch and when she's almost between that lunch and when she's when she's charged with when she's charged with when she's charged with with the murders and it became with the murders and it became with the murders and it became fairly clear early on in that trial fairly clear early on in that trial fairly clear early on in that trial that the essential issue was that the essential issue was that the essential issue was whether she'd meant to put death cap whether she'd meant to put death cap whether she'd meant to put death cap mushrooms in mushrooms in mushrooms in the beef wellington so somewhat the beef wellington so somewhat the beef wellington so somewhat differently to differently to differently to the story they've been presented you the story they've been presented you the story they've been presented you know up until that point it no longer know up until that point it no longer know up until that point it no longer was in dispute that she'd fed was in dispute that she'd fed was in dispute that she'd fed death cap mushrooms to her lunch guests death cap mushrooms to her lunch guests death cap mushrooms to her lunch guests in those beef wellingtons in those beef wellingtons in those beef wellingtons what had become in you know the central what had become in you know the central what had become in you know the central issue of the trial is whether she'd meant issue of the trial is whether she'd meant issue of the trial is whether she'd meant to do it and effectively you know to do it and effectively you know to do it and effectively you know aaron's pleading not guilty saying that aaron's pleading not guilty saying that aaron's pleading not guilty saying that look i forage these mushrooms i didn't look i forage these mushrooms i didn't look i forage these mushrooms i didn't realize our death caps i accidentally realize our death caps i accidentally realize our death caps i accidentally put them in put them in put them in the beef wellingtons that's killed the the beef wellingtons that's killed the the beef wellingtons that's killed the lunch guests i got sick too lunch guests i got sick too lunch guests i got sick too but for various reasons i didn't get as but for various reasons i didn't get as but for various reasons i didn't get as sick as them sick as them sick as them that's basically what the trial come came that's basically what the trial come came that's basically what the trial come came down to was that that question of intent down to was that that question of intent down to was that that question of intent there were charges that were eventually there were charges that were eventually there were charges that were eventually dropped um attempted murder charges dropped um attempted murder charges dropped um attempted murder charges against her husband simon who hadn't been against her husband simon who hadn't been against her husband simon who hadn't been there there there that's right so one of the things that that's right so one of the things that that's right so one of the things that was really fascinating about her was really fascinating about her was really fascinating about her arrest and charging back in november as we arrest and charging back in november as we arrest and charging back in november as we had no idea about this had no idea about this had no idea about this background or alleged background or background or alleged background or background or alleged background or history of of attempting to poison history of of attempting to poison history of of attempting to poison simon and so that really was a bolt from simon and so that really was a bolt from the blue when that came out so police the blue when that came out so police the blue when that came out so police as part of their investigation into what as part of their investigation into what as part of their investigation into what happened at the lunch they spoke to happened at the lunch they spoke to happened at the lunch they spoke to simon and he simon and he simon and he spelled out to them these spelled out to them these spelled out to them these four occasions where he said she tried four occasions where he said she tried four occasions where he said she tried to kill him before to kill him before to kill him before now they were all occasions where now they were all occasions where now they were all occasions where you know police alleged it was just you know police alleged it was just you know police alleged it was just those two together he was eating food that aaron had prepared for him their children weren't there their children weren't there their children weren't there uh and it all occurred when they were uh and it all occurred when they were uh and it all occurred when they were away from away from away from from home as well so you know aaron from home as well so you know aaron from home as well so you know aaron patterson when she was charged in patterson when she was charged in patterson when she was charged in november with with the lunch charges november with with the lunch charges november with with the lunch charges which in and of itself wasn't a huge which in and of itself wasn't a huge which in and of itself wasn't a huge surprise given everyone knew she was surprise given everyone knew she was kind of the only suspect kind of the only suspect kind of the only suspect uh which she was also charged with these uh which she was also charged with these uh which she was also charged with these these matters involving simon that nobody these matters involving simon that nobody these matters involving simon that nobody had any idea about had any idea about had any idea about but between her being charged in but between her being charged in but between her being charged in november and the trial starting the november and the trial starting the november and the trial starting the following april following april following april there'd been a lot of legal argument and there'd been a lot of legal argument and there'd been a lot of legal argument and back and forth about these two back and forth about these two back and forth about these two sets of charges what were called you know sets of charges what were called you know the lunch charges and the simon the lunch charges and the simon the lunch charges and the simon charges effectively charges effectively charges effectively and and right before the trial started and and right before the trial started and and right before the trial started there was a there was a there was a a ruling that came down and the judge a ruling that came down and the judge a ruling that came down and the judge effectively said effectively said effectively said these have to be these trials have to be these have to be these trials have to be these have to be these trials have to be held separately you can't have one trial held separately you can't have one trial held separately you can't have one trial on the simon charge and the lunch on the simon charge and the lunch on the simon charge and the lunch charges you're gonna have to do them charges you're gonna have to do them separately separately separately and eventually the you know the um the and eventually the you know the um the and eventually the you know the um the director of director of director of public prosecutions here decided that public prosecutions here decided that public prosecutions here decided that they dropped the simon charges and they they dropped the simon charges and they they dropped the simon charges and they proceeded with the lunch charges proceeded with the lunch charges proceeded with the lunch charges what was the trial like incredible in what was the trial like incredible in what was the trial like incredible in the sense that the sense that the sense that we all knew it would be we all knew it would be we all knew it would be this completely this completely this completely uncontrollable kind of raging storm uncontrollable kind of raging storm uncontrollable kind of raging storm and yet it still sort of took us by and yet it still sort of took us by and yet it still sort of took us by surprise i think surprise i think surprise i think all the the many reporters who covered it all the the many reporters who covered it all the the many reporters who covered it there was there was there was you know evidence it was obviously you know evidence it was obviously you know evidence it was obviously really sort of heart-wrenching from from really sort of heart-wrenching from from really sort of heart-wrenching from from from ian wilkinson who was at the lunch from ian wilkinson who was at the lunch from ian wilkinson who was at the lunch but also from simon patterson but also from simon patterson but also from simon patterson um about losing his parents and and also um about losing his parents and and also sort of i suppose reflecting on sort of i suppose reflecting on sort of i suppose reflecting on you know his relationship with aaron and you know his relationship with aaron and you know his relationship with aaron and the future for his kids and that sort of the future for his kids and that sort of the future for his kids and that sort of thing thing thing and then you know later on in the trial and then you know later on in the trial and then you know later on in the trial the very sort of the very sort of the very sort of final witness was aaron patterson herself final witness was aaron patterson herself final witness was aaron patterson herself and you know that was and you know that was and you know that was quite remarkable as well because you quite remarkable as well because you quite remarkable as well because you sort of go from from seeing this person in a dock every day but sort of having having seen her on television for, you know, months before that and in newspaper photographs and all the rest of it. And then, you know, she sort of comes to life before your very eyes and that was quite an experience too. Where did the prosecution say they thought she'd gotten the poison mushrooms? So the prosecution said that it was open to the jury to find that she'd got them from one of two locations. And this was a fairly laborious part of the trial because basically what they were doing was measuring up location data to sort of say Erin Patterson was in this location at this time and then kind of cross-referencing that with public posts on a website called iNaturalist, which is basically a citizen science website. You can log posts on there about things you've found in the wild, you know. You know, whether it be types of plant like mushroom or animals. And what the prosecution was saying was, look, it's open to you as the jury to find that Erin Patterson was in a place called Lock and another place called Outram after there were public posts put on iNaturalist identifying those locations as having death cut mushrooms. So they didn't know exactly, but they were saying our case is that she'd gotten the poison mushrooms. So she got them from either Outram or Lock on either of these occasions in the weeks leading up to lunch, effectively. What did Erin say when she testified? She, you know, effectively sort of said that she hadn't made that recipe before, but she wanted to do something different because it was a special lunch. She couldn't find the exact ingredients to follow the recipe that she'd found. So she sort of ad-libbed and instead of, you know, buying one big, sirloin, she divided, decided to just buy individual sirloin steaks. She said she was, you know, cooking down the mushrooms as the recipe sort of called for, but then they didn't, you know, taste particularly good. They tasted a bit bland. So she threw in some dried mushrooms that she had in the pantry. Very much the, you know, I guess the, the sort of through line of her evidence was one of having a great deal of love and respect for the, for the people she was alleged to have killed, having no reason to want them gone, having had some issues in their relationship with Simon, but that, you know, had no reason at all to have, to have done what she was alleged to have done. What was the end of the trial? Like what, what, what happened? Trial went on and on and on. It dragged far longer than anyone thought. It went for 11 weeks in the end and. You know, Aaron Patterson's evidence was, was, you know, the most dramatic period of, of those 11 weeks. And there was, there was a point, you know, in her evidence where I could see a path to her being found not guilty. Again, you know, just to sort of emphasize, this is not, you know, criminal trials are not about, a lot of the time are not about someone's innocence, you know, they're, but they're about whether there's enough evidence for them to be found guilty, you know, beyond reasonable doubt. And there was just enough, I thought at, at times early on in her evidence to suggest that a jury, or, you know, it could be enough for, for a single juror to have some doubt about whether she'd intended to kill people with those, you know, poisonous beef Wellingtons, but eventually the jury came down and, and they found Aaron Patterson. Guilty of all charges. And what was her sentence? Basically in Australia, once there's a guilty verdict handed down, you know, the, the jury get sent out, they're, they're thanked for their work and there then is, is what's effectively called a, a plea hearing for, you know, where the prosecution give their side of, of the sentence they think Aaron Patterson should get and Aaron Patterson's, you know, lawyers basically say, well, these are the mitigating sort of circumstances, you know, in Aaron's case, there, there wasn't a lot of them. You know, she'd, she'd taken it to trial, sort of indicates a lack of remorse, but. You know, that she had never been, you know, found guilty of any, any other serious sort of criminal offending, you know, this was her first major crime. So, you know, it was all weighed up and in the end she was given a, a minimum sentence of 33 years with a maximum of, of life. Now it's important to sort of say that Aaron Patterson's appealing that conviction. She's not appealing the sentence, but she's appealing that conviction and, you know, she maintains her innocence and there's going to be an appeal hearing, you know, in her case later this year. Her husband has a book deal. Yeah. Simon Patterson has been represented by, uh, uh, you know, a media spokesperson since fairly early on in this. One of the things that we don't know a great deal about that, that Simon certainly can talk to are those, you know, alleged attempted murders that Aaron, uh, committed on him where, you know, police had alleged and, and, you know, he certainly suspects and continues to suspect that she had attempted to kill him on a number of occasions before the lunch. Look, if, if that's the focus of the book, I'm sure that'll be the focus of, of even more headlines as well, um, in the coming months. But you know, with the motive, if he was, if she was trying to kill him, he wasn't at that lunch, so why would she still serve? If, if, if she is guilty, why would she go ahead with serving the beef Wellington to his family? I've really tossed this around a lot. I suspect that possibly Aaron's thinking was that Simon may come and if, for example, like he'd taken their kids out that day, if, for example, he'd come back early and happened to see his whole family sitting around eating, maybe he was more likely to partake as well. She did. have extras she had extra beef wellingtons that she could have served to other people who came perhaps she wanted to see obviously the previous attempts at simon alleged attempts you know involving simon have been unsuccessful maybe it was a dosing test and it was let's see how far i can push this i mean ultimately where i kind of land with this is that you're on a hiding to nothing when you try and get inside the mind of of someone who'll murder three people and it's a very difficult thing for for most of us to do to try and consider their motives especially when they've been questioned about this particular thing for for days on end and and you know i've sat in the same room while she's doing that and i'm still no close to understanding why well nino thank you thanks phoebe you can read more of nino buchi's reporting for guardian australia at the link in our show notes aaron patterson's appeal will be held this august if you'd like to watch the video of this interview and all our other video interviews follow us at youtube.com slash criminal podcast or just click the link in our show notes i'm phoebe judge thanks for listening you fall is here and that means the pumpkin spice latte is back at starbucks it's the one we've been waiting for so whether you're a fan of the original pumpkin spice latte or ready to mix it up with an iced pumpkin cream chai the new iced pumpkin cream matcha or the new iced pumpkin cream shaken espresso you can find your favorite taste of fall only at starbucks your favorite fall flavors are back at starbucks the one and only pumpkin spice latte and the deliciously smooth iced pecan latte have arrived and are ready to sip all season long or find a new favorite like the new iced banana bread latte that tastes just like fall in a cup you can find your favorite taste of fall only at starbucks