I Hate Pumpkin Spice

Why I Hate Pumpkin Spice

Stuart Friedman

NO, NOT YET!

It’s August, but here comes the Fall favorite, for some, Pumpkin Spice!

If you follow me, you may know I hate Pumpkin Spice!

Not just dislike or take it or leave it, but I hate Pumpkin Spice. I actually think it’s one of the things that is destroying civil society. So here is my annual ode, also known as a rant, against the evils of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte coming out in August.

 A pumpkin spice "handcrafted drink" at Starbucks now starts at $6+, and literally every food or drink item features a pumpkin spice flavor, from cream cheese to Oreos to god knows what. I mean, really, does the world need Pumpkin Spice Goldfish?  I've never liked the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Drinks; I'd much prefer their caramel mocha cookie crumble.

While the pumpkin spice craze exemplifies the excess of holiday season commercialization, that is not the main reason I hate Pumpkin spice.

I hate Pumpkin Spice because it signals the end of summer. Starbucks introduces its PS menu in late August, even before Labor Day, but summer isn't officially over until September 22nd!

It's not just that summer is ending that bothers me; it's also the start of fall and everything that comes with it. School begins, summer Fridays end, and all the other routines pick up again in September. I’m just not ready.

I mean, I haven't even gotten my summer '25 body ready for the beach yet, and I still hope for a slight tan before Fall, snow, and Pumpkin Spice everything take over the world. November 1st, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, seems like a more appropriate time to bring out the Pumpkin Spice and other Fall favorites.

I don't want to see Halloween or, for God's sakes, Christmas and holiday merchandise out now either. There is plenty of time for all of that to happen. Just don't start for a few more weeks.

This time of year also has me and many others focused on everything we've postponed over the summer. We promised ourselves that we would start all these ambitious projects and plans in the fall or, according to Starbucks, late August!

Come on, world and Starbucks, give us a few more weeks to ease into fall without over-commercialized holiday beverages. Is that so much to ask?