Hamburg students fall into autumn with pumpkin spice products

As the colder weather and the festivities of fall swiftly approach, many coffee shops and brands are offering pumpkin spice products. According to The One Thing, pumpkin spice originated 50 years ago when McCormick, a popular spice company, started selling their concoction of ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg, labeling it pumpkin spice. Starbucks first began selling one of their most popular seasonal beverages, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, or PSL, for short, in 2003. However, the craze still continues as stores slowly begin releasing fall products.

Of course, Starbucks is famous for its pumpkin spice latte, but what other fall products do they have? Their new fall selection includes a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, which is a type of blended coffee with pumpkin flavoring. Similarly, they have added the Blended Crème Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino, which is a blend of dairy products instead of coffee. Pumpkin spice is also available in hot or iced lattes and in the Pumpkin Spice Crème, a type of steamed milk with the popular pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. In addition to the pumpkin spice, they have started a line of Salted Caramel Mocha products. To attract customers, many Barnes and Noble-owned Starbucks stores are offering free samples of the drinks and coupons to store visitors.

After Starbucks’ success with the flavor, other companies followed suit. Dunkin Donuts has proudly advertised the arrival of their version of the pumpkin spice flavoring. At Dunkin, the flavor can be added to any beverage for a small fee. Unsweetened flavor shots were also added to the menu and are also able to be added to any beverage. Dunkin is now featuring a new signature latte to mark the beginning of the fall season. Many customers are now ordering the new Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Signature Latte.

Madison Racine, a Hamburg junior, says, “Pumpkin spice is my favorite flavor at Dunkin.” Mrs. Farina, a Hamburg biology teacher, also expressed her love for pumpkin spice. Although it is not everybody’s favorite, pumpkin spice is unarguably a popular fall flavor.