The beginning of September means the uncovering of fall clothing from storage bins, the circulation of Halloween memes and the inevitable release of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte. However, once the 80 plus degree temperature forces the demise of premature sweater weather, I’m left to wonder why the PSL is not repealed as well.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte was officially reintroduced at Starbucks on September 5th, despite its availability beginning September 1st. Along with an aggressive social media campaigning came a raise in price (now costing o naverage 20 cents more than last year) many are willing to overlook for the drink that supposedly encapsulates autumn. It proved difficult to walk around campus without hearing excited chatter about its return. I can understand that the signature flavors are somewhat quintessential to seasonal cuisine, but has pumpkin spice become the hottest fall flavor due to the superiority of its taste, or due to the relentless advertising schemes of one of the most popular coffee shops of this generation?
Starbucks has an extremely effective marketing campaign, so effective that the release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte has begun to signify the beginning of the fall season. I sit in class and can smell the scent of nutmeg wafting up. I wipe the sweat from my brow as I watch the steam rise off of a friend’s latte. I browse Snapchat stories and am bombarded by snaps of PSLs. It’s difficult to not be swept up in the mass hysteria for the drink. The desire to belong works in favor for the coffee chain, as does the drink’s position as a fall staple much like North Face jackets and Uggs. The difference is that if I put on a North Face jacket and Uggs for my 8 am, I will swiftly strip them off at 9 am upon realizing it sure doesn’t feel like fall yet.
It literally isn’t Fall until September 22nd, according to the calendar. Once school is in, people begin to long for fall, because it’s harder to reap the benefits summer has to offer with a full schedule. In some ways the exploitation of the Pumpkin Spice Latte is wishful thinking. But this wishful thinking is an avalanche of hope for crisp weather and Halloween decorations that are just too much to expect. The poor PSL has so much pressure placed on its little shoulders, fostering all of our hopes and dreams of the crunch of leaves beneath our feet.
If you are feeling swept up by the madness of PSL season, fret not. There will be plenty of time to enjoy the creamy nutmeggy goodness that warms you up from a nippy day, as opposed to raising your body temperature on a scorching summer afternoon. Spend what little time we have left of summer soaking up some sun on the quad, tanning at The Falls, playing intramural sand volleyball and sipping on a tasty cool drink. Don’t succumb to your baser seasonal urges. The Pumpkin Spice Latte will wait for you.