As the leaves on the trees start to fall, everyone knows what will be rapidly approaching in the fall season. Pumpkin spice has been a craze for many years, as many businesses incorporate it into new fall scents, drinks, and food items, making it a staple of life this time of year. There is no limit to what people can create, with each passing year bringing new foods with pumpkin spice flavoring that, although heavily pushed onto the general public, do not live up to expectations.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte is an increasingly popular, yet rarely enjoyed, drink. According to CBS News, the Pumpkin Spice Latte has been around since 2003, making it older than many of its consumers. It was a new flavor that Starbucks pushed out and since then, the mix has been a hit. However, the drink does not provide the expected taste satisfaction. Some may passionately hail the product, even if the overpowering coffee causes it to lose its flavor, making it unremarkable at best. This type of caffeinated drink is a beverage that can be consumed once when back in season and never tried again until the next year (cbsnews.com).
According to CNBC, “Just eight percent of Pumpkin Spice Latte customers buy the drink three or more times during the offer time, according to NPD [New Product Development Research] data. It’s considerably more common for PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) lovers to buy the indulgence drink just one time. About 72 percent of customers do this, while about a fifth buy it twice a season.” Many other fall treats can be enjoyed year-round, so why is pumpkin spice so popular when few consume it more than once when available (cnbc.com)?
Many companies such as PopTarts, Oreos, and even Twinkies have created different varieties of their food items to fit into the fall season, according to the Los Angeles Times. Although few genuinely enjoy them, many feel inclined to buy them because of how trendy they have become. None of these items have ever been exceptional. Most businesses have not perfected the pumpkin spice flavor, focusing more on pumping out new products to join the bandwagon (latimes.com).
For example, PopTarts lose the pumpkin flavor due to the crust that is around it, Oreos have that artificial flavor already that doesn’t allow the pumpkin spice flavor to rise to the surface. With any of these products, also, it’s never really clear if it is the pumpkin spice that you are tasting or the loads of cinnamon. People are tired of seeing this flavor every fall and few are rushing to purchase these items as a result of their overwhelming presence across the product landscape (latimes.com). Senior Kennedy Maynard said, “Pumpkin spice is getting old. Companies should change their angle for fall products. You can never really taste the pumpkin. It normally just tastes like cinnamon.”
Pumpkin spice has just been around for too many years. It is time to popularize a new type of flavor, such as apple pie, hazelnut, maple, apple cider or why not just stick to an original cinnamon? These flavors are infinitely more effective at producing the fall feeling many are looking forward to from September all the way through November.