Every mid-September pumpkin spice is everywhere. Grocery stores start putting out their flavored items and Starbucks releases their popular lattes. Even with its extreme popularity, many don’t know the origin of this fall flavor or why it is so beloved. 

The popular Starbucks drink was an idea first brought forward by an employee named Peter Dukes in 2003. The drink originally contained only nutmeg and cinnamon, and surprisingly didn’t include pumpkin until 2015. Since its release it has become Starbucks’ most popular seasonal beverage of all time with over 424 million lattes sold in the US.

Pumpkin spice is highly awaited by many. LSHS Junior Cydney Hutterer says: “I love pumpkin spice, it reminds me of fall which is my favorite season.” However, some people don’t share this opinion. Senior Sabrina Hertel says: “I think it’s overrated and overdone, it’s like any other drink you could buy and it’s really nothing special” 

Whether you like pumpkin spice or not I think we can all agree that it marks the beginning of the fall season.