Pumpkin Spice Isn’t That Nice 

By: Brylee Shafer

Fall is in the air, which means everybody’s favorite fall drink flavor; pumpkin spice is in season. But not everybody likes the basic fall drink. Specifically me, I don’t like pumpkin spice. I don’t understand why everyone is always impatiently waiting for pumpkin spice to be a flavor option at their favorite coffee spot. 

I am a lover of coffee and have it most mornings before school. It’s nice to have a little caffeine boost before a long day filled with school, sports and other activities, but I cannot get a powerful caffeine boost from a pumpkin spice flavored coffee. It’s a type of drink that I cannot wake up in the morning and want to drink; in fact, I’d rather not drink it at all, and I’m not alone.

“I don't like pumpkin spice, I think it’s gross,” said senior Sophie Fitch. 

 I just don’t find the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and pumpkin flavor mixture appealing. I like pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread, but pumpkin spice is not something my taste buds crave every fall.The mixture of the sweetness of the pumpkin spice with the bitterness of coffee just doesn’t sit well with me.  It’s so strong that once you drink it, the taste stays with you for a while. I personally don’t like the flavor and can’t fathom the appeal. 

“I don’t like pumpkin spice because it’s too strong and over-hyped. I feel like every girl has one in their hand everyday in late September and all of October,” said sophomore Olivia Hoppe. 

Some people drink pumpkin spice drinks for the fall aesthetic, but I see it as a waste of money to get a drink you don’t like just to be trendy. I get loving all things fall and leaning into the aesthetic, and let me tell you, I will participate in haunted houses and pumpkin patches, but you will not see me with a pumpkin spice drink in my hand during the fall season. 

The whole pumpkin spice frenzy has gone too far in recent years. It started out as just a barista special, but now it’s everywhere. Way too many strange foods have hopped on the bandwagon hoping to make money by creating pumpkin spice flavored everything. For example, pumpkin spice flavored Spam, which lets be real, sounds disgusting. If I don’t want it in my coffee, what are the chances of someone purchasing it in Spam. Spam is gross anyways, but adding pumpkin spice flavoring makes it 10 times more unappealing to me. Pumpkin spice Oreos are also a top seller at grocery stores during the fall season. Oreos are a classic cookie, tasty and delicious. But pumpkin spice flavored oreos? That sounds like a stomach ache, and not the good kind that comes from eating too many Oreos. 

While everyone is obsessed with pumpkin spice lattes and oreos this fall, I will not be contributing to the pumpkin spice craze and will be ordering alternative flavors in my coffee.