The fall season is an important time for the pumpkin spice trend due to people being obsessed with anything pumpkin spice flavored. The trend started blowing up all over social media platforms after pumpkin spiced lattes became popular.

“I feel like pumpkin is the best flavor for fall so it’s just kind of what everybody goes towards,” junior Jessa Van Gorp said. “It’s definitely what everybody talks about during the fall.”

Ever since the pumpkin spice latte was first released in fall of 2003, it has been a favorable item. Many people stop by their favorite coffee shop and purchase the fall flavored drink to warm them up on a cold day.

“Once the pumpkin spice latte is in season, I get it whenever I go to get coffee,” sophomore Olivia Lahti said.

After this item gained a lot of popularity many stores and brands decided to release new products that had a pumpkin flavor for the autumn season.

“I feel like Starbucks started a huge pumpkin spice trend,” Lahti said. “I’ve seen a whole bunch of pumpkin products that come out during the fall season after the latte got really popular.”

Most places release the drink as soon as the fall season begins. Once the weather gets colder and people lean towards hotter coffee is when the drink hits the coffee shops. Latte drinkers have their preferences and may go to a coffee place that has, in their opinion, the best version of their drink. Starbucks is many people’s favorite coffee shop to buy a pumpkin spice latte. This may be because it was the first company to gain the most attention for this drink.

“Starbucks is the one who created the pumpkin spice latte and they really advertised it,” Van Gorp said. “They really push it when fall rolls around, so it is the fall drink, I feel like they top everybody else.”

Although Starbucks gains a lot of attention for this seasonal drink, many other coffee shops release a version of the pumpkin spice latte as well. Dunkin Donuts is another big name brand coffee shop, and therefore puts out a pumpkin spice latte.

“I like Dunkin’s coffee better,” junior Kiara Morris said. “I feel like everywhere else I’ve been is too bitter, or doesn’t really have a distinct pumpkin taste.I feel like Dunkin’s pumpkin spice latte is perfect.”

Dunkin’ Donuts is not as big as Starbucks when it comes to the pumpkin spice trend, but some people still go just as crazy for this seasonal drink from Dunkin’. Common snacks, such as cereal , peanut butter and almonds, are now pumpkin flavored. Even items that don’t seem like should be, pumpkin spice pringles, hummus and even spray on pumpkin spice. The pumpkin spice latte is a symbol of the season.