Every time fall comes around, so does the popular drink: the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL). Why do people go crazy for it every year? Is it just for the taste? The enticing smell? Or are there more reasons behind it?
Many people associate pumpkin with fall, so our brains automatically start to crave it when the season begins. The smell of pumpkin affects us the most. Neuroscientist Dr. John McGann said, “About 70 percent of our [perception] of taste is retronasal smell and then maybe 25 percent of it is true taste.” Since the smell takes over our brain, when we smell pumpkin scent, we start to crave the taste as well. He also talks about how the PSL creates a nostalgia that can bring us back to happier times. It can make you think of Thanksgiving, playing in the leaves, trick or treating, and many more fall activities. The PSL helps us return to those memories and feel those familiar feelings. It also is usually only available for a fourth of the year, which raises the demand when it is available.
Starbucks is a top-rated seller of pumpkin spice lattes. They started selling this drink in 2003. They have sold 350 million PSLs since that year. The students and staff in our school were polled to see how many of them liked pumpkin spice drinks. Out of 64 staff and students, the results were exactly half and half. While talking to pumpkin spice lover Mrs. Kerpsack, she discussed how the PSL reminds her of many happy memories, such as going to White House Fruit Farms, picking out pumpkins, and decorating for fall. She specifically likes ordering an iced PSL from Dunkin. She wishes she could drink it year round. “I’m the person who goes to Dunkin in August and asks if they have the pumpkin flavor yet because it's my favorite,” she said.
While talking to Frankie Lellio, she explained how she used to like them, but “now pumpkin spice drinks are overhyped.” However, she has become a fan of iced chai teas from Starbucks during this season. She stated that she loves pumpkin pie, but “not all pumpkin.” She drinks the iced chai as an alternative to the usual PSL.
The pumpkin spice latte has become a staple for fall for many coffee drinkers. Not only for the great taste and familiar smell, but for the feeling people get when they take that first sip. The memories people have attached to the drink make it even better and the perfect drink to have on a lovely fall day.