We all have our guilty pleasures in life. Some endlessly scroll on Zillow to look at lofty mansions in California, unaffordable though they may be. Others pull up to Starbucks—eyes wide and mouth salivating—each year on the release day of the glorious pumpkin spice latte.  

Imagine: you drive up to the window and pay an outrageous 6 dollars, but it doesn’t matter. The barista hands you the drink—it’s light orange in color but just enough to make your heart skip a beat with anticipation. You ignore the sweat dripping through your fall-themed orange sweater on the 90-degree day as you take the first sip. What follows is pure nostalgic bliss. And this repeats, year after year. Let’s take a step back. Is pumpkin spice actually worth it? Or do we just get caught up in the hoopla of the season? 

Pumpkin spice has grown from a coffee flavor to a lifestyle. There now exists pumpkin spice-flavored foods like chips, cream cheese and cereal as well as other unhinged products like body wash, deodorant, car washing soap and even pumpkin-scented trash bags. Perhaps our obsession with the fall flavor has gone too far.  

First-year Wil Gaskins said, “I like pumpkin spice, but I’m more of a caramel guy. Pumpkin spice is a bit overhyped.” Maybe we should stick to the original flavors like caramel and vanilla.  

Or, perhaps it gives us something to look forward to during one of the most hectic times of the year. First-year Emily Lindner said, “Pumpkin spice is a good way to kick off the fall season because not everywhere can people see the leaves turning red to signify the change from summer to fall.” As a true fan, she believed that the arrival of long-awaited pumpkin flavors is a reliable way to know fall is coming, along with sweaters, apple picking and pumpkin patches! 

At the end of the day, I am a sucker for the pumpkin spice latte. Come September, coffee shops all around can take my money in return for a warm mug of comfort. I have accepted the fact that, every year, I will show up to Starbucks on the first day of September with a little drool running down my chin. Despite this, I’ve noticed that local coffee shops tend to far exceed Starbucks taste-wise, and they are oftentimes lower in price. If you are looking for a warm fall ambiance and superior coffee all around, make a trip down to EVO 206 or Folklore Coffee & Co. this fall. Whether you think the flavor is impeccable or downright overrated, there’s no doubt that fall is in the air.