Did you miss it? I sure hope not.

On Tuesday, October 10, Starbucks celebrated the 20th birthday of its Pumpkin Spice Latte.

The seasonal beverage’s outsized success has forced the entire coffee industry to jump onboard. Pretty much every shop — from the most boho neighborhood joint to, well, Starbucks — offers some version of the pumpkin spice latte, as well as spin-offs.

And you’ll be pleased to know that it’s easier than ever to order. Simply say, “PSL.”

With PSL turning 20, it was all but mandatory that I feature it in this episode of Friday Food Fight — especially seeing as I’ve never had one. For moral support, trenchant insights and the exchanging of wisecracks, I enlisted the services of close friend and marketing savant, David Downing. We find PSL mania pretty laughable, while at the same time admiring the marketing savvy.

We set out on Tuesday morning, amid the last gasp of the first fall cool front. David looked sharp; I looked shabby. First up was Kahwa Coffee, a top local brand, at 2nd Street and 5th Avenue North in St. Pete. We then drove a few blocks south to the Starbucks at 2nd Street and 1st Avenue North. Should we have walked? Absolutely.

KAHWA COFFEE

As you can see from the above photo, Kahwa is all in.

The counter person looked at me expectantly. “PSL,” I said. “Hot or cold?” she asked. “Hot.” I answered. “I was wondering if you’d know what I meant by PSL?”

“I’m a barista,” she replied with an invisible shrug.

It was just after 10:30, and, to our chagrin, all the outside tables were occupied. We sat at a four-top indoors.

Appearance

Within a minute or so, my barista handed me a PSL in a cardboard cup. Desiring a more elegant experience on such an august occasion, I asked if I could have it in a china cup. She gladly made me a new one. The foam was etched with the all-too-familiar tree design.

Texture and Taste

Hoping against hope that I wouldn’t hate it, I took my first sip. The whole-milk crema provided a frothy buffer to the hot liquid beneath. No cool-down time necessary.

My wish was that the coffee would taste like pumpkin pie, which I really like. It did not. In fact, I told David, I wasn’t really getting much pumpkin at all. That’s when I remembered: It’s pumpkin spice. The full-bodied coffee drink was a bit too spice-forward.

Did I like my first ever PSL? No. Did I hate it? No. I call that a win.

STARBUCKS

The sidewalks were naked, no tables. I thought it might’ve been a City thing, but a counter person said it was because “someone got hurt.” Also missing: signage pimping PSL. I guess when one of your products is so entrenched in the zeitgeist, you don’t need to promote it from the rooftops.

Our smiling barista had a temporary tattoo on her cheek that looked like a heart. She said it was in recognition of PSL’s 20th birthday, and handed me a promo slip with a few cartoony designs on it. I put it in my pocket.

“PSL, hot,” I ordered, getting the hang of things. “And can I have it in a china cup?” (That got me 10 cents off of the $5.65 beverage.)

We also got an Impossible Sausage Breakfast Sandwich ($5.45) to split.

Appearance

Not as pretty — no tree design on the crema. Just some flecks of what I presumed to be pumpkin spice.

Texture and Taste

The coffee beneath the foam was a bit hotter than the competition’s, but it didn’t burn my mouth.

The sweetness and spice, a bit more muted, blended together into an earthy, full-bodied beverage. Did I like this PSL? No. Did I hate it? No. Another win.

As for our snack, I have limited experience with fake meat, but this fake sausage probably tasted the most legit of any I’ve tried. Pairing it with a layer of egg obviously helped.

So Can a Local Upstart Topple Starbucks in a PSL Duel?

Nope. Starbucks wins.

It makes sense, really. The chain invented the drink, developed it, marketed it, and I assume refined it over the years. It’s in their bailiwick. To make it all official: David gave the W to Starbucks as well.

About the tattoo: I don’t have one and have never wanted one. However — I couldn’t pass up the chance to get a temp tat for such a monumental anniversary. Why the neck? Allen Iverson was the first person I ever saw with a neck tattoo, and I was aghast. Now, every other dude has one, so why not me?

“Spicey” with a half a heart and coffee cup wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it’s what was handy.

One more stop: David suggested that we hit Black Crow Coffee Co. in Old Northeast — in his view, the most hipster coffee shop in town — and see if they would fill an order for PSL or throw us out.

Hipster was an understatement. The windows had anti-racist signs. The front door was plastered with far-left stickers and a sign in the middle that said “Peace.”

“Can I get a PSL?” I asked the barista. She rolled her eyes, sighed and muttered, “Okay.”

I told her I was just kidding, that I wanted to see if Black Crow would make us one or throw us out. She didn’t partake in the frivolity, but drolly replied, “You’ve got to give the people what they want.”

I left it at that.