Bri Becerra, Zach Perrier and some of the Voice staff
Bri: Every time that October rolls around, I dread walking into the grocery store and coffee shops. It’s as if overnight, the pumpkin spice fairy leaves its dust all over every consumable item. I am a certified pumpkin spice hater, as I feel that this flavor belongs in a candle rather than in a coffee.
Zach: Bri, I am a pumpkin spice lover. But I usually don’t veer towards the pumpkin spice latte. For the past few years, my free birthday drink at Starbucks has and will always be (until they discontinue the item) the pumpkin cream cold brew. Which, granted, is essentially a slice of pumpkin pie that you can drink, so it is best to enjoy in moderation. Regardless, I do agree that some pumpkin spice flavored items are better than others.
Bri: But Zach, what even is pumpkin spice? I understand that it is a mixture of spices used as flavoring in pumpkin pies, but is there actual pumpkin in these pumpkin spice consumables? You could dump some cinnamon in a coffee and slap a “pumpkin spice” label on it and no one would be able to tell the difference.
Zach: Incorrect, Bri! Nutmeg and allspice are really what create the pumpkin spice flavor. Cinnamon is but one factor. I think that if there really was pumpkin in pumpkin spice, then the flavor wouldn’t be as versatile. It would also probably be pretty gross.
Bri: But there are so many other fall flavors that deserve the hype that pumpkin spice receives. What about toasted marshmallow? Or maple? Even brown sugar cinnamon is preferred to the abomination that is pumpkin spice. It seems like companies make pumpkin spice flavored everything in a ploy to seem “festive,” but it only comes off as a capitalistic cash grab. Sorry Zach, but I would support skipping pumpkin spice season altogether. I am an avid supporter of winter flavors like mint chocolate, sugar cookie and gingerbread. These selections give more “holiday nostalgia” than “drinking a candle,” which is an affliction from which pumpkin spice suffers.
Zach: Okay, to some extent, you’re right. I do enjoy an apple fritter during the fall just as much as a pumpkin spice anything, the former of which can be few and far between, especially one that actually tastes good. As someone who loves the fall and hates to see the season evaporate in dead trees and tinsel, I just cannot shake the need for anything pumpkin this time of year. I at least think it’s nice that we can all stop and try to at least enjoy the foliage and bask in autumnal flavors for once, instead of busting out colored lights and three foot tall, creepy Santa Clauses in mid-October. Well, after visiting the supermarket and seeing the Christmas displays after picking up my pumpkin cream cold brew, I may have spoken too soon.
Julia: I think that there are better fall flavors than pumpkin spice. My vote for the flavor of the season would probably be maple –– it’s so versatile and can be put in anything: lattes or sweet treats. I can already taste the possibilities –– especially a maple brown sugar latte…
Lain: Have you all gone mad?! The heart of fall does not lie in the delicious, artificial flavoring of the most boring gourd. It is found in fake blood, plastic fangs and ugly wigs. Halloween is in six days! We must be hanging up the cobwebs, not slurping away at a hug in a cup!
