Few seasonal flavors inspire such heated love or hate as pumpkin spice. What was once a Starbucks-side experiment has become a cultural phenomenon. If you’re a fan of the autumn-favorite, or you want it to be a thing of the past, you’ve got to admit: Pumpkin spice is here to stay in the coffee world.
The Origins of the Pumpkin Spice Craze
Pumpkin spice really exploded in popularity in the early aughts, though. That’s when Starbucks first added Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, to its lineup in 2003. Fans of the mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin puree were in love. They’ve been coming back for the seasonal drink every year since.
Starbucks hasn’t been the only company with a pumpkin-spice version of its signature drink, either. It has since been adopted by countless other coffee shops big and small. Coffee shops often tout their own special pumpkin spice recipe as a significant draw for fall customers.
The Ubiquity of Pumpkin Spice
The flavor’s explosion in popularity has reached well beyond coffee. Pumpkin spice can now be found in everything from breakfast cereals and baked goods to candles and air fresheners. But it’s in the coffee world where pumpkin spice truly reigns supreme. Today, it’s almost impossible to walk into a coffee shop during the fall without seeing some version of a pumpkin spice drink on the menu.
Part of the reason for its staying power is the way pumpkin spice taps into our nostalgia and love for the fall season. The warm, comforting spices evoke memories of cozy sweaters, cool weather, and the anticipation of holidays just around the corner. It’s a sensory experience that goes beyond taste, appealing to the emotions as much as the palate.
The Polarizing Nature of Pumpkin Spice
That being said, pumpkin spice’s ascent to omnipresence hasn’t been completely smooth. For every pumpkin spice fan, there’s one ready to roll their eyes and call the flavor a cliché. The PSL’s yearly return has been marked by Instagram rants about pumpkin spice everything for a while now.
To some critics, the pumpkin spice movement is indicative of capitalism run amok, a sham trend that preys on our emotions at the most convenient times of the year. Some people, meanwhile, just don’t like how it tastes. It’s too sugary. It’s too synthetic. It tastes like a pumpkin spice candle. Love it or hate it, however, it’s indisputably one of coffee shops’ best-selling items every autumn.
Why Pumpkin Spice Is Here to Stay
So, what makes pumpkin spice so different from all other seasonal flavors that have come and gone before? The answer is: rituals. It’s like a constant in an ever-changing world to many people; the appearance of the first pumpkin spice latte means fall has arrived.
People bond over the flavor, they discuss it, they make social media posts about it, they might argue about it in good humor, and then go for another sip. Pumpkin spice has ritualized the coffee-drinking process by giving people an easy and reliable excuse to start conversations.
On top of that, coffee shop owners have also perfected the limited-time sale strategy; in all fairness, they probably perfected it in general, period. It is impossible not to buy a pumpkin spice drink if you are trying to get it before it is gone.
The Final Word
There’s no denying the phenomenon that is pumpkin spice, but whether you love it or hate it, there is one fact that remains true. As long as there is fall, pumpkin spice coffee will forever be ingrained in our coffee culture. There is one thing that is certain, no matter if you’re on Team Pumpkin Spice or against it: pumpkin spice is here to stay, and is only becoming more popular as time goes on.