Brace yourselves...
It’s August 31st, eve of the first month of Autumn.
The Pumpkin Spice is coming. I recall having a pumpkin spice latte, over a decade ago. Nobody was really ordering it, and at that time, Caramel Frappucinos were still a thing. It sure as hell didn’t taste like pumpkin.
Autumn Musings:
Pumpkin spice doesn’t taste anything at all like pumpkin. What it most likely is a variant made from the instant Chai syrup, 'enhanced’ with some kind of bitters and maybe 1% of pumpkin.
I don’t have beef with pumpkin spice lattes - it’s sweet and ‘spiced’ so obviously people will like it. But to wreak mayhem in Starbucks nationwide, is the product really that good? Teenage white girls will stampede to the nearest shop where they can get one, and I’ve even overheard, “Well shit, they’re out, should we try the Barnes and Noble on 66th?” I was on 111th street at the time...
My theory is that Starbucks is brilliant in limiting ‘pumpkin spice’ to the fall season. It reinforces the idea that pumpkin = fall, and by having the product exclusive for only a season, it gives a compelling reason to the consumer (”I can’t get milk and sugar disguised as coffee any other season you say?!”).
My suspicion is though, that people just really like Autumn. It’s a wonderful season, with beautiful foliage, crisp nights, warm afternoons, and also, Thanksgiving. Pumpkins remind us that Autumn is here, and since few of us actually bother to pick our own pumpkins and grow them, we go out and buy as many fucking pumpkin spice lattes we can carry.
Til Wednesday.
