Everyone is restless for the arrival of chilly weather, changing leaves, and the most notorious flavor of the season: pumpkin! Lovers celebrate a separate OctoberFest by decking out in pumpkin colors, drinking a pumpkin spice latte, eating a pumpkin-flavored baked good, showering with pumpkin spice soap or spraying on some pumpkin spiced perfume.
On the other side of the pumpkin patch, there are people who live through this nightmarish saturation of the pumpkin spice craze. Regardless of which side you’re on, the pumpkin phenomenon is overwhelming. Here’s a rundown on treats you might already love, some you should give a try, and others that might carve out your desire all together.
The Classics:
1. Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie rules the P-Spice chain. Cut yourself a slice, smack on the whipped cream, and accept it.
2. Pumpkin Muffins
If I could only eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would probably be a Dunkin Donuts pumpkin muffin. I can never stop talking about them. My entire Snapchat story is about pumpkin muffins. I have framed pictures of pumpkin muffins. I replaced my mom and dad with pumpkin muffins—accept and move on.
3. Pumpkin Spiced Latte or PSL
The most anticipated product of all pumpkin spice time…(drum roll)…it’s the pumpkin spice latte, courtesy of Starbucks and probably sponsored by UGGs (#basic?). This one is pretty hit or miss among coffee lovers. People either live by the latte or hiss and recoil at the slightest mention of it. Despite the mix feelings, the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte remains unshakeable in its spot on the top.
The Oddities:
1. Pumpkin Spice Perfume
Yes, you can even go through life smelling like a spiced pumpkin. Odor is in the nostrils of the beholder.
2. Pumpkin Spice Bagels
Although, baked goods may be a way companies try to cash in on the craze, you don’t often see people talking about such items. These, in particular, have flecks of spice in the bread and actual pumpkin pieces, making for a surprisingly great breakfast or snack, especially with cream cheese!
3. Pumpkin-Flavored Yogurt
My initial reflex was to keep walking the first time I saw one of these, but then I remembered the yummy taste of Chobani’s regular fruit-at-the-bottom products. These are no exception!
The Whys:
1. Pumpkin Spice Gum
Just don’t do it. I don’t even like regular cinnamon gum, and this was an extra large dare. It’s sugary and chocked full of questionable spice that make you not want to chew it for a long period of time. But if you’re pumpkin spice obsessed, we’re not going to stop you!
2. Pumpkin Spice Dop Shampoo
If you want to experiment, proceed with caution. The more your dog smells like fresh pumpkin, you’ll want to take him or her for walk to Starbucks.
3. Pumpkin Spice Hummus
I had to take a mental break after typing that title. Chickpeas, cinnamon, sugar and pumpkin go together like chocolate, dish soap and mustard. This product subtracted years from my life.
What a mouthful of flavor! This list couldn’t get any longer. Oh, one more thing…