Although the pumpkin spice craze is now long over Starbucks tries to bring it back again every fall to varying levels of success. It has become an engrained part of the season, an enduring cultural staple even after it’s peak popularity has passed. According to Yahoo Finance, this year pumpkin spice was not enough as it failed to boost sales, but that does not mean that the flavor is going away anytime soon. In fact over time it feels like the drinks have only gotten more crazy and the menus get longer as Starbuck continues to try to add novelty to the season. When they were done with pumpkin they moved onto apple crisp, and now there is pecan crunch. Each year there is some new interpretation of what a season should be.
Now Starbucks has moved on from just the traditional fall drinks, they are expanding into the holiday and even summer market. Admittedly, I definitely am the target audience for drinks like these. They have become a way to mark my calender, and they give me something to look forward to, even if it’s something small, and something mostly meaningless. My favorite one in particular is the Pistachio drink that come out every late winter/early spring. It doesn’t even really taste like pistachio, and it’s not green, but there still is something about it that I have latched onto.
I don’t think I’m the only one that feels this way though. The marketing must be working on some level because other coffee shops have taken Starbucks lead. Maybe part of the reason seasonal drinks are rising in popularity is because our real seasons are disappearing due to climate change. It’s a extreme jump, but it’s true that in many parts of the country, including North Carolina, we seems to spend more and more of the year in a never ending summer. Seasonal items could be way to hold onto some normalcy and help with the passing of time. With no snow, will Chestnut lattes be all we have left?