Why are people obsessed with pumpkin spice?
At its core, pumpkin spice is more than a flavor; it’s a seasonal ritual. As leaves start to fall and temperatures drop, Americans are drawn to cozy, comforting foods and drinks. Pumpkin spice is all about nostalgia and warmth, reminding people of family, friends, and gatherings. One common criticism surrounding pumpkin spice products is that many of them don’t actually contain pumpkin. This makes sense since pumpkin spice is just a blend of spices used to flavor pumpkin desserts. But, given the name, it’s understandable you might expect to find real pumpkins in there.It’s only available for a limited amount of time, which means people are less price-sensitive, and they’re willing to pay more. To put it more bluntly, retailers charge extra for pumpkin-spiced products “because companies can get away with it,” Popovich said.Pumpkin spice, also known as pumpkin pie spice, is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Some pumpkin spice mixes might leave out a spice or two, but most consist of at least two or three of the spices listed above.Pumpkin spice flavor is made up of two main chemicals: terpene hydrocarbons and phenolic compounds. Terpene hydrocarbons, like limonene and pinene, give pumpkin its unique smell. Phenolic compounds, including vanillin and eugenol, add the warm, spicy taste of pumpkin spice.Scarcity, flavor, and nostalgia equal obsession. People’s obsession with pumpkin spice is an intriguing psychological occurrence. The taste of pumpkin spice may be desirable due to its scarcity, as it’s only available during the fall.
Is pumpkin spice a trend?
PSL is as popular and polarizing as ever. Combing through more than 209,000 social posts from August 22 to September 23, 2024 via the Brandwatch platform, the Montclair team discovered an 895% increase in social media conversations surrounding pumpkin spice from a similar period in 2023. Scarcity: Scarcity is one of our most basic economic principles. When something is rare, its value increases. The nature of not being able to get a Pumpkin Spice Latte for the majority of the year means that when it does come around, people clamor to get it before it runs out.The big boom of pumpkin spice truly came in the 1990s with the launch of the PSL. A little coffee shop named Starbucks launched the PSL, hesitantly, and initiated the pumpkin spice craze. The latte became the talk of the town with customers everywhere patiently awaiting the fall season just for their coveted PSL.The seasonal nature of a pumpkin spice latte hacks into the hunter-gatherer parts of our psychology, said Alice. The fact that you can only get them in autumn gives them a sense of scarcity, which drives our desire to get our hands on them.
What is the psychology behind pumpkin spice?
Two Krieger School perception researchers say a key to understanding why people love pumpkin spice is the smell of it. Those notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger trigger deeply rooted cozy memories of autumn. All the ingredients in the Pumpkin spice flavor mixture are spices and herbs used in old folk magick (Wicca and Neo-Paganism) to ward off evil, negative energy, and malevolent spirits or wandering ghosts.Smell and Association Two Krieger School perception researchers say a key to understanding why people love pumpkin spice is the smell of it. Those notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger trigger deeply rooted cozy memories of autumn.The pumpkin spice flavour profile has been around for centuries. The earliest-known “pumpkin spice” reference dates back to a British recipe from 1675 with pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Other recipes also contain ginger and/or all spice.That was until 1796, when Amelia Simmons penned a recipe using the spices in the first American cookbook. Decades later, McCormick bottled it up and made it official with the name Pumpkin Pie Spice. It was an easy way to get all of the spices you needed for pumpkin pie in one shake.What is pumpkin spice? Starbucks is credited with starting the trend for all things pumpkin spice. According to the coffee chain’s website, the idea was born in a lab on the seventh floor of its HQ in Seattle. Researchers brainstormed ideas for seasonal flavoured coffees and pumpkin scored high on uniqueness.
What is the big deal about pumpkin spice?
Some think it relates way back to our colony days where pumpkins were one of the only crops the settlers could sustain and so, subconsciously, pumpkin reminds us of our roots. Others believe that the seasonal appeal of the pumpkin-flavor is what creates the allure. A: Sales of pumpkin spice-related products in the 12 months ending in July 2023 topped $800 million, according to NielsenIQ, a company that tracks these figures. Their report also included an estimate of the number of pumpkin spice products on the market at over 3,000, which was down about 5% over prior years.
How big is the pumpkin spice industry?
According to Nielsen data, the pumpkin spice trend is an industry of about $800 million a year. Every year, the King Pumpkin is sold, and this year it brought the highest price yet of $13,000. That makes it the most expensive pumpkin ever.
Who started the pumpkin spice trend?
Thanks, Starbucks. You can thank Starbucks for pumpkin spice in our lives. Pumpkin spice wasn’t much of a thing in the early 2000s, Peter Dukes, then the leader of the Starbucks Espresso product team that brought the PSL to life, told CNN in 2023. The latte became Starbucks’ most popular seasonal beverage of all time. Pumpkin spice” was a thing well before Starbucks. According to Chicagoist, spice companies like McCormick started bundling common spices used in pumpkin pie as “pumpkin pie spice” in the 1950s. Pumpkin pies predated the premade spice by centuries.Millennial preferences appear to be a significant driving factor towards pumpkin spice enthusiasm (Hoffower, 2021). The introduction of the pumpkin spice latte would correspond to the time period where millennials were emerging as a consumer group.Beyond Halloween, pumpkins are symbols of the harvest season. In agricultural communities, they have long represented abundance and the culmination of the growing season. Pumpkins are prominently featured in fall decor, from homes to storefronts, often surrounded by hay bales and colorful gourds.To many Americans, pumpkin spice is as much about fall’s cozy, festive vibe as it is about flavor. It brings to mind chilly sweater weather, leaves crunching underfoot, and the excitement of upcoming holidays. A sip of pumpkin spice somehow channels all these feelings and packs them into one warm, creamy drink.