With the fall season in full swing, everything pumpkin spice flavored has hit the shelves and made its way into our coffee cups and onto our plates.

For many, when you first think of pumpkin spice, you probably think of pumpkin pie. We know Americans love pumpkin pie during the fall season and so do we. The Thanksgiving staple is almost as old as the United States of America itself. According to The Guardian, pumpkin pie recipes date back to 1793, with a recipe only slightly different from its modern form. 

Apparently, the late-1700s version of the spice mixture had “mace, nutmeg and ginger, while the other used molasses, allspice and ginger.” This closely resembles the modern version that global food brand McCormick introduced to the public in 1934 as the first pumpkin spice blend. The commodified blend contains ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. 

We love pumpkin spice and so, inherently, we love cinnamon. Its absence in the 18th-century recipe is a little bit puzzling, considering we find it to be a crucial part of a tasty latte or pumpkin pie common today. 

Nowadays, whole new creations have come from the modern spice blend with cinnamon as a key ingredient. Our favorite is the infamous pumpkin spice latte- the treat that your brother, sister, grandmother and most people in between get excited about.

The pumpkin spice latte (PSL) made its debut 20 years ago when the Starbucks chain “first brought the beverage as a test to about 100 stores in Washington, D.C. and Vancouver, Canada,” according to the Starbucks website.

Now, Americans spent nearly 236 million dollars in the last two years on pumpkin spice products (we would not like to disclose how much of that spending we are responsible for). 

With pumpkin spice, donuts, crackers, cakes and really anything else that can be flavored, it is no surprise the pumpkin spice latte would take the coffee community by storm.

“It’s the coffee giant’s most popular seasonal beverage, with hundreds of millions sold since its launch in 2003,” reported the Associated Press (AP) about the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

We, for one, definitely enjoy a PSL from time to time… or every day. 

Every fall, fans of the beverage flock to Starbucks and other major chains as soon as they announce the drink’s return. This year, the latte, along with other seasonal pumpkin-inspired drinks, became available on Aug. 24, six days earlier than the year prior. 

“Last year, Starbucks said sales of its pumpkin spice drinks — including newer offerings like Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew — were up 17% in the July-September period,” said Dee-Ann Durbin, food industry reporter for the AP.

Much to our delight, several other coffee companies have also started offering their versions of the pumpkin spice latte. Dunkin Donuts offers a pumpkin spice signature latte, as does Biggby. 

According to Tasting Table, a small pumpkin spice latte at Dunkin Donuts with regular milk costs $4.29 with prices varying depending on location. However, the same order at Starbucks is nearly a dollar more– totaling $5.25.

There’s been “a roughly 4% increase compared to 2021,” reported CNN Business, in regards to the price of medium-sized pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. 

While we love pumpkin spice lattes and look forward to their return each year, the rise in prices is alarming, especially for people like us who lack self-control. We hope that Starbucks and other beverage companies make the conscious decision to keep the drink affordable for all to enjoy during future fall seasons.

We love seeing how the American tradition of pumpkin pie has evolved to the pumpkin spice craze. We look forward to how the trend can continue to evolve with our craving needs and pocketbooks.