Autumn is a season filled with beautiful colors, cool, crisp days, lots of excuses to indulge in satisfying comfort food, and, of course, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). Admit it, we all love to hate PSL even though it ushers in Fall, but we all drink it, until today, that is. Starbucks is changing things up on the first day of Autumn with a new addition to their Autumn line-up -- the Maple Pecan Latte.

The new addition to the Starbucks family is made with maple pecan sauce, with hints of maple syrup, brown sugar, and pecan, their signature espresso, and choice of steamed milk.

Orange and white sugar crystals top off this Autumn addition.

Autumn sights and sounds and smells

Today is officially the first day of Autumn -- the autumnal equinox -- and how do we celebrate Fall's arrival? With our many different customs and traditions. Like, preserving food for the upcoming months, ushering harvests, watching the leaves turn colors, and preparing ourselves for the soon to follow colder months.

As we wrap our chilled hands around our first cup of warm Maple Pecan Latte from Starbucks and smell those wonderful autumn scents filling the air we start to look forward to all the festivals and fun in store for us, and the children in our lives. Nothing could be more inviting than the sounds and lights of a fall festival, the smell of pumpkin and pecan pies, apple picking, and hay rides or just walking through the park as the leaves fall off their branches.

New cup designs and colors

Those who have been lucky enough to get a sneak taste of the Starbucks MPL say it smells like pancakes with syrup and definitely gave you that nostalgic, comforting vibe that Starbucks is so famous for. You can also order an MLP Frappuccino if that's your coffee choice. It has not yet been placed on their menu but is available for you to order.

As with any of their drinks you can request how much syrup you like, the type of milk you prefer and whatever else you may choose to add to your coffee.

The new fall cups are inspired by the spring pastel-colored versions, will come in an orange jewel, blue, and purple tone. Pumpkins, pies, and owls will be sketched and featured on the cups and they will include a plain white circle that you can write on.

Starbucks has been testing different variations of the maple drink idea for awhile -- a Maple Macchiato was recently sold nationally -- and in Asia, they have been serving the MPL in stores for some time now and they expect to keep it on the menu in Asia throughout the fall.