Yes these are wild! My husband wanted a coffee advent calendar and I was like uh no lmao, advent calendars are homemade or they’re the cheapy chocolate ones for kids and that’s it 😂
I'm from Germany and while I heard about the pumpkin spice craze there is nothing like this in Germany. Even pumpkin spice as a spice mix is not a thing here. So to see why everyone on my ForYou Page loved it so much I tried making a pumpking spice latte myself last fall...let's just say I hope I did it wrong because there is no way people are drinking that 😅😂
@@chma16 McDonald's also has a pumpkin spice latte around this time for a few years now and I personally love it lol 😅 but you're right, except for dm there isn't really anything in the stores.. I bought myself a bottle of pumpkin spice syrup because my husband and I really enjoy it in our coffee :)
I remember in 2003, before the Pumpkin Spice craze, people would get SUPER excited to see eggnog in the stores around the holidays. Eggnog had it's little heyday, but nothing like the neverending pumpkin spice trend.
You just unlocked a memory of going through a faze of enjoying eggnog chai. You're right that eggnog doesn't seem to have the power of PSL or even peppermint
One thing I want to add that I don't see in here much. In Europe pumpkins are more of a savoury thing. For me when I think autumn and pumpkins I think of things like roasted pumpkins or pumpkin soup. As a sweet desert like pie, pumpkin is one of the last things I would think of.
I wouldn't say pumpkin pie is particularly sweet. pie crust isn't sweet, and the pumpkin is spiced (hence pumpkin spice) so I personally don't think it's sweet. Sometime people add whipped cream or ice cream to it though to make it more sweet
I was so happy when you recognized this is a North American phenomenon. In most videos made by americans (of any topic, tbh, not just fall themed videos) it seems like there is a lack of acknowledgement that some topics not a universal thing, but a very regional/cultural one. Idk it just made me happy to hear this. By the way, pumpkin spice is not a thing at all here in Brazil. Also it's spring in the southern hemisphere, so maybe not the best time of the year for something "cozy" hahaha Also I didn't know pumpkin spice does not actually involve pumpkin, but are just a mix of regular spices?? Mindblown.
I recently started watching an Australien RUclipsr and only now thought about how people celebrate Easter in winter and Christmas in the summer on the southern half that is the mind blowing concept for me at 30 years old. 😅
Yep, no actual pumpkin. I do like all the spices in it, so I like the spice blend, but some items that come with only the spice and no pumpkin make me sad, as I love pumpkin.
Poland here - it arrivied to us as a pumpkin spice latte coffee drink a few years ago, but this is basically it. We do not have it as a spice mix and there aren't any food variations with this flavor (if there are they are certainly not common). More common flavor is apple and cinammon but to be honest it is not really hyped, it just shows up as a variation for a couple of products (i know only of one yogurt and a pudding). Although, we do have similar spice mix but it is called a ginger spice. It is defenietly not that hyped and not added to everything. It is rather Associated with winter not fall. It is used to make gingerbread and maybe some winter drinks like tea and mulled wine. Pumpkin as a vegatable is getting more common each year, a lot of recipies how to make meals with it start showing up during fall.
In Germany, it's called Lebkuchengewürz. That's why Germany doesn't show up in the Google search statistics. It's also more popular in the Christmas season.
@@shawnaripari Yep, Lebkuchengewürz is definitely gingerbread spice (it's the literal translation: Lebkuchen = Gingerbread, Gewürz = Spice). It's similar, but not the same as Pumpkin Spice, which isn't really a thing here in Germany (except for Starbucks PSL).
@@Stacybell92oh I’d completely be on board for a lebkuchen trend, always time to celebrate when these arrive in my local Lidl and Aldi in their Christmas ranges (about a week ago in the UK)
@@maddie107 Hey I wonder if Lebkuchengewirz will make a lot of bank in the southern hemisphere? It may be unlikely, but such a spice mix can indeed come to Australian stores thanks to Aldi’s popularity here in my country.
Eta: In Belgium and the Netherlands we have our own psl, meaning we make everything speculoos/biscoff flavoured or stroopwafel flavoured. I had a pumpkin spice latte once at Starbucks in Brussels and it just tasted like a spice blend we call by a different name and we don't traditionally make pumpkin pie. It tasted really bland for how crazy people are about it in Northern America. I've also never had a conversation about psl with someone in real life. It's an internet-only thing in my experience.
@@shawnaripari it's not that I disliked it, it just tasted like most autumn flavoured things here anyway. The spice profile is very close to anything autumn/winter here so it tasted more like 'fall coffee' and not really something new.
@@notpartoftheplan biscoff is the port manteau of biscuit and coffee, it's because traditionally we dip the biscuits in our coffee. So yes, we have biscoff flavoured coffee drinks at coffee shops. One of the most conventional syrup brands for coffee here is Monin, they have a 'speculoos' flavour for sure.
I can attest to this, we traditionally call it seasoning or spice for gingerbread here in America before it got branded as singular "pumpkin spice", I served my European friends dad, apple pie with all the spices to make "pumpkin spice" and he asked if I used spices to make ginger bread for the filling, which I was surprised me because everyone calls it pumpkin spice since like 2010's and it was what I had grown use to. I think it would make more sense to call it Autumnal spice if you really want to put it in a box.
The olfactory memory is really an interesting phenomenon. Even the smell of dead fish might trigger positive memories, like a holiday with a stroll along the harbour with the fishermen coming back in.
I do like a pumpkin spice coffee or snack-to be completely honest I was buying my first round of pumpkin spice coffee at the supermarket back in *August*, lol-but I think it’s twofold for me. One, it’s a fairly harmless/inexpensive way to sneak in that “having a li’l treat” feeling (I make coffee at home rather than go out for it), and two, I’ve lived in the same mid-south U.S. area for 20+ years and the climate really has shifted dramatically, and it’s not that cool until much later in the year (it also snows much less in the winter), so to a certain extent I think I might be trying to give myself the ✨vibe✨ of the cooler months if I can’t actually have the weather. Appreciate the thought-provoking commentary and the company while I washed dishes! And that sweater is super cute too ☺️🍁
I think you're so right that the pumpkin spiced drinks and snacks can be a great lil treat that feels a little extra special given the limited edition aspect of it too
I feel the same way about trying to experience fall again even though it doesn’t even happen in October anymore 😅 it makes me so sad, it doesn’t even get cold until like, december or january where I live some years! And it used to be a foot of snow on the ground my November at the latest. This was when I was a kid- only a couple of decades ago 😢
I enjoy PSL too. But I waited until mid-September to order my first pumpkin spice iced coffee from Dunkins and to make my first batch of pumpkin spice syrup because I was on vacation with my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces/nephews.
A viewer from India here! We do have the PSL at Starbucks but that's really about it. Generally though, we don't tend to have 'seasonal' flavors or scents here. There might be foods associated with certain harvest seasons or festivals but that's more a case of limited availability. I'd love to hear your perspective on how seasonality causes people to overconsume! I know people in India tend to go overboard shopping during our Diwali festival, since that's when you're traditionally supposed to buy new things. Of course, companies love to take advantage of that!
Right! Same with peppermint mocha during Christmas season. Only heard about these in starbucks and bath & body works.. for Indians nostalgia is the smell of frying pakoras during rainy monsoon season.. and aroma of ghee while making sweets during diwali season.. 😊
Watcher from the Netherlands here :) The only association I have with pumpkin spice is Starbucks - that's it. Though we have other fall/winter related foods that generate some hype (= stores are selling it from August onwards), like kruidnoten, speculaas and marsepein. To each culture their own, I suppose.
I'm so glad you are talking about this. I was/am excited for pumpkin spice, but i was alarmed when it started popping up on August and is now EVERYWHERE. It honestly has started to lose it's charm because of that.
I’ve talked to people in my life about a theory I have regarding “literal versus cultural seasons” and pumpkin spice is one of the things I’ve brought up in regard to “cultural fall”, which I’ve theorized starts mid-August. Not only with pumpkin spice, but also association with back to school in the US- with most districts returning during the last half of August, and before I grew up and started drinking coffee that was my big association with fall.
I think the religious element is interesting when coming at this from the idea of using pumpkin spice (or peppermint or whatever) to mark the seasons or the passage of time; historically that would have been done with religious festivals (example: no one celebrates Candlemas anymore) but as more and more people are not religious, using something else to mark the passage of time becomes helpful to anchor us in the year. That's my theory anyway
It's good that you talked about this association of smells and experiences that are also tied to fall. I live in Ecuador where there are no seasons (just rainy or dry), and pumpkin spice is almost not a thing. Distributors of products like torani syrups, especially the pumpkin spice, only earn money from fancy coffee shops trying to copy the US, not from individual clients. I didn't even know the brand existed until a friend of mine who is American asked me to help her buy some. She was so into the pumpkin spice syrup and when I tried it with my coffee it really didn't strike me as special, but I'm sure she has formed this connection of nostalgia with the flavor that I obviously haven't.
Pumpkin spice is pretty close to the spice mix we use for gingerbread in the Nordics, so it's more Christmassy for us than an autumn thing. I do like it, though, the season is just different.
UK here!😊 I must be honest, I do love pumpkin spice latte and I have them quite often during the 'season'. I always buy a couple of pumpkin spice candles to get me through the winter moths, too. I also put out my little china pumpkin ornaments that I've had a very long time. I truly enjoy it, but I do it in moderation. My little display and my candles bring me joy for months on end and I burn my candles up fully so there's no waste.
This is so interesting! As a UK person who's always enjoyed the way Americans make such a big thing out of autumn, I watched with great interest when the "pumpkin spice" branding became a thing and basically took over. As someone else mentions, it's interesting how what used to be a generic spice mix for baking got this cultural intensification around it based on... really, it did seem to come purely from Starbucks and similar brands doing the lattes. I think you're very astute in how you break it down here: autumn to me feels like the most beautifully ephemeral and fleeting of seasons, but the demands of capitalism make it hard to slow down and enjoy it right when you most want to, because the leaves are starting to turn and you know you'll see new things literally every day that you walk outside in nature... so it figures that people like having a commodified, packaged, affordable thing that gives them a ghost of that high, but they can find it on every city street corner.
hi! barista from poland here (not starbucks so cant speak on that) we do have a pumpkin syrup for coffee but its not our most popular even is peak psl season. other than that we have nothing, no pumpkin spiced items in the supermarket not even pumpkin puree!! when i wanted to make a pumkpkin spiced syrup at home i had to buy a whole pumpkin peel it chop it cook and puree it myself
No pumpkin puree? That's so interesting! I should point out, though, that in the US there's no pumpkin involved in "pumpkin spice" anything *most of the time* (obviously there are exceptions). It's very annoying. So you're already doing better than us because you actually used pumpkin 🧡
@@faeriesmak yeah, I also noticed that in Poland in small and speciality coffee cafes the pumpkin spice drinks usually contain the real pumpkin puree. I was very surprised that US pumpkin spice often does not contain pumpkin. Although I also tried to make my own pumpkin spice syrup at home and US recipies did need the pumpkin puree.
I have a ginormous sweet tooth and the time between Easter and Halloween is the longest period you have without seasonal candy. For six months of the year you have a holiday with special candy just about every two months .
Scotland here. Pumpkin spice has certainly been marketed to us (initially via Starbucks) in recent years. Other chains and small, local coffee shops have followed suit. Hallow E'en is a traditional holiday for us and we have used pumpkins (rather than the traditional turnips) to make lanterns since maybe the 1990's I think. (Have to say they are a definite improvement - I think anyone who has chiselled the inside out of a turnip would agree.) It's interesting that, in my experience, pumpkin spice is a far more recent arrival. I don't buy these drinks but I do get the sense that nowadays people here start to get excited for the arrival of a 'special' autumnal hot drinks menu, including pumpkin spice coffees, alongside flavoured hot chocolates. I don't see pumpkin spice groceries at the supermarket (yet), but, where America leads, we follow - I don't doubt they are in the retail pipeline.
England here and I feel like I've seen the occasional pumpkin spice item in other areas like food or the kind of candles/bath stuff area. But it is definitely nowhere near the US and Canada level. UK businesses seem obsessed with trying to push Americanised concepts onto us, generally speaking. Tbh, given how miserable a season autumn is here (I live in the North West, all seasons are just "Wet and..."), I think we are primed to be sold any sort of little bit of joy possible while trudging through sodden fallen leaves.
@feralnonbinaryautistic same here in Australia- it's so odd given that it's Spring here, we don't consider pumpkin a sweet food, and Halloween isn't a thing here except thanks to American media making it popular as an excuse to decorate/dress up/eat lollies
I agree and disagree about pumpkin carving. While neep are hard work to carve, you end up with a raggedy line that looks creepy, and it does look more like an actual head. Maybe I just don't leave the house enough, but I don't think PSL has managed to really break through like in North America. But you may be right, the swamp of products may just be coming down the line.
@@Elspm More power to you in your neep carving! Yes. I think part of the difference here is that pumpkins themselves aren't something we eat much &, from the start, they were marketed as something to make lanterns out of. I suspect most people treat the innards as waste. There isn't the same strong association with 'yummy' as in the US, but the marketeers do like a challenge.
Your description of the Christmas store flip unlocked memories of my time working at British home stores (lol) and getting up at 5am to do the flip and then listening to the same 12 Christmas tracks at work for weeks on end 😭
I'm in the UK and as a child I absolutely loved seeing the over night flip from Halloween displays to christmas. we have a boyes in the town centre with a huge display window. October 31st full Halloween display November 1st full Christmas display with animatronics.
I decided to watch this as I was making myself my monthly batch of pumpkin pie syrup. I loved that it made me reflect on my consumerism while making something from scratch
I'm from an European country and the American pumpkin spice culture has spread here in recent years. Now cafes do offer pumpkin spice lattes, but funnily enough the drink names are always in English instead of our own language. The American pumpkin spice is such a strong branding and concept, that we're widely using the English term instead of our own - I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be as popular if instead of the familiar "pumpkin spice latte" it was called "kurpitsalatte" (in Finnish). Personally I've tasted a pumpkin spice latte once or twice, but I don't actually know what the spice tastes like so there's no familiarity to me and I don't associate it with fall. I can't remember what it tasted like, nothing much really.
In the Southern USA here. We don’t get changing colors beyond dead-brown and we reach a hard freeze well after Thanksgiving (with no snow, of course). Fall daytime temps can dip into the 60s F, so we don’t get much use from fluffy sweaters. We do have pumpkins and pumpkin spice though. To celebrate the season I make my own pumpkin spice syrup for coffee and tea, or drizzle on waffles. There are lots of recipes out there, and I think making one batch of syrup is cheaper than a single store bought psl, and will set you up to make a good dozen coffees at home. I’m trying to grow my own pumpkins for carving and eating, but so far the pests have harvested more than I have. I have grown my own decorative corn and popcorn though, and that was much easier than I expected.
I have a huge pumpkin vine in my yard with two huge pumpkins on there and a couple of small ones. It takes a lot of water to grow them maybe that's the issue. Once the leaves develop you have to start soaking them in the evening. If the leaves start drooping during the heat of the day add more water. Good luck if you ever try growing them again.
@@kimberlyhood4095thanks! I’m in Texas, so watering is always a key factor here! I think my main issue has been vine borers though. I was picking multiple grubs and eggs daily all through the end of September and into the first week of October. Even my butternut squash- which is supposed to be resistant- were nearly wiped out. The pests seem to have finally gone inactive and my vine is now sending out another round of female blossoms- one week from Halloween. So no Jack o’Lanterns, but hopefully I’ll still get something before a hard frost. I think I’ll have to try nematodes if I plant pumpkins next year- and double up on the watering. Maybe they can outgrow the borers faster than they can get eaten 🤷♀️
@@DracoTriste I live in Texas also! What part of the state are you in? I'm in the Panhandle on the prairie, it gets hotter than the surface of the sun by July here. The crazy thing with mine this year is my son mowed them down and I just kept watering them! I was amazed that it worked but my kids always tell me my green thumbs could grow anything. Nope, I can kill roses. Lol
Pumpkin spice coffee drinks and other foods are my guilty pleasure. I am a tea drinker, but during pumpkin spice season, I will go to different coffee shops pretty much weekly to drink their pumpkin spice/other fall themed coffees... My husband increases our dining out budget for this time of year because of it. He also made me a pumpkin spice syrup so he will make me drinks at home. 😅
I go to Starbucks sometimes to work on my laptop. Last time I was in there in early September, I finally decided to get a coffee because I was so tired (I never get Starbucks) and when I was paying for my white mocha, the lady said “are you sure you don’t want a pumpkin spice latte??” I was like maam, I’m literally PAYING. I just responded “haha not yet” and she said “ugh everyone is saying that!!”. That really opened my eyes to how much companies push this stuff… and how people really love to reserve it for a specific time period. It’s fascinating!
I enjoy fall by wearing my roomiest clothes and large socks and watching a tv show or curl up with a book. I also love fall jogging, the air is so crisp!
We don’t do Pumpkin Spice in Australia - but a lot of our Christmas foods have what we call mixed spice - nutmeg/clove/cinnamon/ginger/allspice blend that we put in Christmas cakes, puddings, biscuits etc. We also have chai spice drinks which are generally milky hot tea with similar spices. It’s not a seasonal thing though.
I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite videos of yours! I know it isn't really replicatable, but going into the sort of history and science behind the pumpkin spice phenomena was super interesting and different.
Me and my dad’s responsibility for thanksgiving and Christmas was the desert. So my memories of pumpkin spice is baking pumpkin pies with my dad. But it’s not only pumpkin pie- we also made apple and pecan pie. I do love pumpkin spice, but I also love pumpkin itself. So some of the pumpkin spice products don’t do it for me. But I’d always go for any pumpkin spice baked goods. It also helps that I know that anytime I crave it, I can simply bake myself a pumpkin pie. Though it does taste better with fresh pumpkins.
tbh whenever i go to the store for a big grocery day i tend to get myself a treat anyways, so when autumn starts i’ll just get pumpkin ice cream or one of the limited edition flavors. i also use coffee creamer regularly, so getting pumpkin spice creamer is free to me because i was going to get it anyways, now its seasonal! honestly living in a cooler climate has helped me feel more “in season” as now i get to wear sweaters and feel what i always dreamed of as a floridian, so it’s always good to look at why we’re chasing that feeling of fall via consumerism so viciously, and ask ourselves if it’ll even help
I’m obsessed with fall because the weather cools down. I also dislike pumpkin spice flavor, unless it’s pumpkin pie. I think it’s pretty funny how much people associate “pumpkin spice” with fall when the only time I have pumpkin anything is at thanksgiving.
I’m in my forties and I love pumpkin spice. Have ever since its inception. However, I would note that every year things seem to get crazier and crazier with the items included on offer in that flavor. There’s so much out there now it’s really overwhelming. And they seem to slap the pumpkin spice label onto pretty much everything. Especially quite a lot of items that should not be pumpkin spice. It’s gotten out of control in my opinion. The only other pumpkin spice item I’ve tried besides coffee and whipped cream and pie has been cookies and pumpkin bread. (Desserts really) -Nearly everything else just sounds gross. I think people get excited because it’s fun to see the seasons change in the next stage of life in the year. Seeing the progress of nature around us helps to keep our outlook fresh and upbeat. Unfortunately consumerism has taken over every single season change, every holiday, every event in our lives. I worked retail for years. I understand how and why the retail stores begin each holiday two to three months out from said holiday. I don’t always like it. But I understand it. It’s all about making money. I moved from a state that was excessive consumerism to a state where locals get angry with holiday items being put out in stores too early. People who have never had to work retail don’t understand why companies push holidays so much. It makes them frustrated and angry when they feel like they’re being “pushed” to buy items and decorate for holidays before they’re ready. The other thing you talked about is scarcity; I can tell you I live in a small town. We don’t get a ton of stock in our stores for holiday items. People freak out and tend to over buy because they know that once it’s gone on the shelves it’s gone. If you wait until the actual holiday to prep for said holiday, there’s nothing left. I think this also angers people. They don’t like feeling that others are being “selfish” or over-buying.
I use pumpkin spices year round, primarily cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, so I don't go nuts when the retailers start pushing their brews. My nostalgia drink is the apple cider drink mix by Alpine.
Premier Protein shakes have a Pumpkin Spice flavor that's seasonal. It tastes just like pumpkin pie, and I love it. I get some every year. It's a nice break from the chocolate flavors I usually drink. It costs the same, and the protein shakes are something I drink anyway, so I'm not spending money on something I usually wouldn't buy.
that top looks really good on you indeed ;) from my little corner of France, away from big cities, pumpkin spice does not exist at alL. not even into the spices rack. we use some of the same spices into our autumnal dishes and cook all sorts of squashes but even the halloween vibe with pumpkins around has died during the last year because people prefer to eat than to decorate. Even christmas decorations has gone to minimum. it is a very weird feeling to see that american people seem to suffer far more from the global prices rise and general financial instability but that they are still buying so much of non essential things just to follow trends. it is why your videos fascinate me. it reminds me that even if we have been "americanized", we are still very different civilsations.
I've been binging your content for weeks now. We're moving and your content has already done so much to curb my chaos home decor buying. And I'm starting to fall in love with the beaten up, slightly grubby clothes and makeup I have ☺
I live in Austria (Europe) but I 'm Czech - just over the border from Austria. This year I have decided to enjoy the autumn mood as much as I can, with Halloween and pumpkin spice latte. I haven't noticed it in cafes as much yet. I got a spice mix for a homemade latte at dm (a popular drugstore chain). However, at a different drugstore, they have a whole psl themed collection a thermo mug, manicure set, makeup sponge, candle,...
Interesting topic. I'm from Lithuania, small country, and pumpkin spice is rare here. I believe only in the last decade it actually started showing up here, usually found in coffee shops as a seasonal flavor for one type of latte etc. I also see candles or wax melts in this scent being sold, but also very scarcely. I would say apple pie and gingerbread smells are way more popular here. I really liked your opinion about the memories and connections. I noticed that in recent years I must have pumpkin or cinnamon scents at home during autumn. I formed many warm and lovely memories over the years with these scents around during this season, so now I am looking forward to them each autumn.
Yep, yep, yep - it has become the representation of a time of year for me. I suspect my experience, although unique, has elements for many moms. August brings feelings of failure and panic and inadequacy because I have two severely disabled kids who do not get their therapies in August. It is up to me to provide everything for them in August, and I fail, always. I go to,bed defeated all August; it’s bad. Soooooo, PSL has come to be equated with hope, rejuvenation and feelings that my kids will not decline when the drinks and flavor comes out in late August.
That colour of the shirt is really great and looks good on you :) I live in Germany and that pumpkin spice thing can be seen a bit in the stores, but nothing compared to north america. We have different spices here. For example Lebkuchengewürz (gingerbread spice), Glühweingewürz (mulled wine spice) or in a city (and some villages around) in the very west of Germany you can get Printen and the spices of that. Printen are similar to ginger bread but taste a bit different
Before I even clicked on the video, I thought: Damn, I LOVE that shirt on Shawna! Now that I've watched the intro, I feel the need to also leave that here as a comment. 😂 🧡
Switzerland here! We do have 4 seasons and I enjoy watching trees turning yellow, orange and red 🍁 Pumpkin spice was slowly growing in the country since a few years ago, mostly because of Starbucks but also with North American communities of people working in American companies established here, we got used to the Holiday traditions.
I’m a PSL girly and I had Starbuck’s once this season and I thought it was disgusting(I have a growing disappointment with Starbucks) So since I make my own espresso drinks at home anyways, I made my own pumpkin spice syrup (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, sugar and water ) and started making my own and it is so satisfying. But, I do not have a desire for pumpkin spice in spring or summer. I live in a hot climate so this is the only autumn I get (along with cozy candles) I grew up with sweet potato pie, which is similar to pumpkin.
I saw another russian comment and just wanted to add... here it's usually referred to as just "pumpkin latte" and some coffeeshops may add it on a fall special menu. I noticed that specialty coffee places definitely love this recipe though (and dumping pureed pumpkin in coffee drinks i guess). But I also live in a pretty big city, so this might not be true for other regions However, my favorite boba place came out with pumpkin spice boba this year and it was a huge disappointment for me since it tasted just like spicy tea (that they have on the menu already) but cost way more (but it kind of makes sense now considering what you said about pumpkin spice being a blend for a pie)
I'm in the UK and have noticed a massive increase in pumpkin spice and seasonal decor in the last 5 years. Prior to this, you would be hard pressed to find autumnal decor in any shops, and only Starbucks had a PSL on offer, whereas now you can find pumpkin-themed decor creeping even into regular supermarkets. I wonder if this is due to social media and the increased visibility of the North American fall aesthetic online. We still don't have pureed pumpkin, pumpkin spice mix or pumpkin spice flavoured food items, but I don't think it will be long until we do.
I grow my own pumpkins every year, display them on my porch and then use them to make pumpkin paste for pies, cookies and bread for the holidays. I've done this for over 30 years. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it over the years. I have two huge one's ready to be cut from the vines and displayed in a few days.
I’m in the UK and i see pumpkin spice drinks in Starbucks and Costa (they are waaaay too sweet for my liking). We have pumpkin decorations in every shop but drinks specifically maybe in some shops but not like in the US. I’ve bought apple and spices bleach once - was on sale for 49cents for a litre and it smelled like bleach. I know there are a few UK influencers that release cleaning products seasonally, so there might be fall inspired febreeze or kitchen/bathroom cleaners. The candle aisles are always popping this time of year. That colour looks amazing on you!!❤
Hello from Italy!!! Pumpkins for us are just vegetables used in savoury dishes, nothing more (although delicious, it’s one of my favourite vegetables). Here the pumpkin spice craze could be associated with chestnuts: during fall you can find any sort of pastry and flours with it and sometimes even home decor, but not as crazy as in the US.
I need the Italian chestnut trend to spill over towards the north lol. I'm utterly obsessed with chestnuts but the fresh ones we get here in Germany are often low quality and chestnut treats are practically unheard of. What is your favorite chestnut pastry? Maybe I can look up a recipe and try it the next time I can get my hands onto good chestnuts.
@ low quality chestnuts are such a disappointment. My favourite is a cake that puts inside pieces marrons glacés (basically candied chestnuts, I find them in the super market) and on top has a crumble of brown sugar and butter. Unfortunately the cake hasn’t a defined name but I think online there are a lot of recipes (mine is from Benedetta Parodi, a famous Italian show cooker)
I used to be very excited about the famous pumpkin spice, and once I bought a spice mix in an American store in Europe, and I was terribly waiting for it to finally arrive and I could taste this specialty, and I felt a tiny bit of disappointment when I opened it, because then I realized that it has exactly the same smell and taste as what we know as "mézeskalács" spice in Hungary. It is a traditional sweet Christmas pastry with honey in it, that has been very popular since the early Middle Ages. It is quite similar to what is called "gingerbread" in other countries, but ours has a less strong taste, so it is just like pumpkin spice. It wasn't a big-big disappointment because I really like this and have used it up, it's just that it wasn't as special as I expected. The fact is that in Hungary, until the spread of social media, no one ever thought of mixing "mézeskalács" spice into a latte, but since everyone has been talking about it throughout October, you can already find such recipes here too :-)
I live in Panama and pumpkin anything is unheard of! For example, you can only get canned pumpkin pie puree around christmas time and in certain stores that tend to carry more american brands than the average grocery store. People tend to equate pumpkin to savory dishes like in soups. It's not at all a thing people here consume.
@@disgruntledmoderate5331 There's local vegetables that are like pumpkin..kinda like the gourd type of veggie? The big orange pumpkins don't grow here so people have no sentimental connection to anything pumpkin related or even Halloween mostly.
Hya Czech republic here, pumpkin spice not really much seen in shops, we do have the Starbucks chain though. BUT our family does love pumpkins - we make soups and pies and even pumpkin marmelade. Pumpkins are great for cooking and they are easy enough to grow in our garden...
I live in the UK and I used to go to Starbucks frequently (much less in the past year). Pumpkin Spice lattes are becoming more popular, but they can usually only be found in Starbucks. Some smaller/local coffee chains have made Pumpkin Spice dupes, but I wouldn't say it's overly common or expected. It's hard to find edible pumpkins or pumpkin favoured foods. However, I would say that the 'commodification of fall' (or Autumn here!) is noticeable in other ways, such as home decor and and a growing emphasis on having the perfect autumnal wardrobe.
Consumer culture really started ramping up in the 80s. When I was a kid/teen one of the most popular bumper stickers was "The one who dies with the most toys wins". This was definitely the mindset then.
You look amazing in this top!!! As for your questions, I was born and raised in Poland (central Europe) my whole life, and the Pumpkin Spice craze is just at its very beginning here I feel like. More and more people start to recognize it as its own thing, they can tell the taste, most still are afraid to try it because "it's so weird to mix pumpkin and sweet coffee". I personally love it, we mostly have it in our Starbucks and in form of candles, usually from Western stores. I feel like for me my love for PSL comes from my very big need to romanticize fall that I would normally be depressed for, as I hate the season and I'm affected with the seasonal affective disorder quite badly. PSL is one of not many things that I actually do look forward to and they can make my day when it's dark at 3 PM, rainy and muddy everywhere. I'm generally quite difficult to sell to, especially anything trendy, but PSL got me, because of this Fall issue of mine. Thank you for your videos, I love watching or listening to you!
Australian checking in here! With regards to pumpkin spice branded things, it really doesn't go much further than the drinks/food you can order at Starbucks - however, even then, it really doesn't make sense to have such drinks here when (due to us being in the southern hemisphere) it is Spring and we really don't feel any of those autumnal vibes associated with October in the northern hemisphere. Hence why I don't think it has much of a grip here compared to other places, despite how Americanised a lot of Australia has become in other aspects.
I think pumpkin spice works somewhat in the UK because the spices used in a pumpkin pie are similar to those used in our Christmas dishes (Mince pies and Christmas pudding) I see pumpkin spice come out and think of the countdown to Christmas slowly starting as the weather and other foods begin to change (eg stews not salads) but pumpkin spice doesn’t really expand beyond coffee and you don’t really see it in the supermarket
I don't have olfactory memory in an emotional sense. I can barely remember what things actually taste like, if I don't have them regularly. I remember if I liked something or not, but I often end up surprised how different things are from my imagination. Music triggers memories for me the most. For me it's mostly, I like fall therefore I'm excited for seasonal swaps and I generally like fall/winter products more than spring summer (I don't drink iced coffee, so summer is drag for me in terms of coffee). Fall gives my brain relief from all the brightness, long daylight hours and warmth. I also love enjoying anticipation. I always decorate for christmas early and I enjoy the advent season more than christmas itself. for me, it's making the most of something I love.
British person here! Pumpkin spice drinks are a relatively new thing, you can get them at places like Starbucks and Costa (British coffee shop very similar to Starbucks). You can also buy pumpkin spice syrups so you can make your own pumpkin spice coffees but there's not a massive amount of pumpkin spice products available it really is limited to hot drinks. You can buy/pick pumpkins for Halloween through September and October, we don't really consume pumpkins though, you might occasionally see a pumpkin soup but pumpkin pie is extremely rare. Gingerbread or peppermint or "Baileys" (alcohol in coffee or alcohol flavored coffee) are much more common than pumpkin spice.
I LOVE pumpkin spice. Not just during the fall, year round. I make iced pumpkin chai in the summer. However, a few years ago my dad bought a few bottles of pumpkin spice extract on clearance at walmart, and I still haven't gone through them. Instead of buying multiple pumpkin spice products I just use the extract and it's both way cheaper and way less wasteful. I do love a good candle or wall plugin but those last a long time, like a month or close to a month.
I`m from Norway and pumpkin spice is a thing that pops up in some cafes around this time, in certain drinks, but this year is the first time I`ve seen a product at the grocery store be pumpkin spiced flavored! It seems to be slowly coming here too
Pumpkin spice is available year round in the spice section of the grocery store... I've been a pumpkin spice fan since 1967 when grandma made a shaker filled with pumpkin psice and sugar to sprinkle on her holiday cookies instead of putting icing on them... Now the spicing in eggnog and eggnog products have an even shorter time on the sotre shelves then the pumpkin spice items do so I mixe both of them in what goes in my cart from September through February. My diet has always been seasonal... I curate my life, but I don't have the equipment to video tape it all.
I think another part of the reason pumpkin spice is such a North American thing is because pumpkins are native to North America and grow well there. They can grow alright in England in my experience (I used to live in England and was surprised to find pumpkins growing in the backyard of my last flat there), so it actually makes sense that the U.K. is the next most popular place for the drink outside of North America.
I'd disagree with it being about pumpkins growing for the UK. We don't really have a culture of eating pumpkin pie here (though we did have very early recipes for it, it just seems to have faded from popular consumption) and it is definitely an American thing to us (I saw a food magazine putting pumpkin pie on their cover recently and had a definite "not more American stuff..." moment). The popularity is probably more to do with the fact that American trends tend to leak over here, either through the spread of it via media/social media or businesses trying to make it happen, or a mix of the two which is probably what happened here. We heard Americans going nuts over PSLs, Starbucks went "hey, there's money to be made here!" And the rest is history.
I’m a lover of pumpkin pie and eggnog. The taste and scent being back cozy memories and feel so warm and comforting in the cold, dead, grey winter. I live in Texas, so there is no snow, everything is just brown and grey and leafless. We need simple and small pleasures to get through the big SAD lol. I think that’s why Hobby Lobby smells like cinnamon and spice - most people have good memories tied to the smell. It smells welcoming and cozy.
worked in a Starbucks in Germany for over 3 years and I remember people starting to ask about psl in July/August and even until Christmas. We also saw an influx of customers during this time. Most of the time we sold out of psl in just under two weeks for the whole year. Definitely underestimated how popular it would be here.
Okay so Pumpkin Spice definitely is available here in Germany, but the whole vibe around it is definitely more on par to Christmas products here. It starts in September till end of December and the selection is INSANE
as a swede, i've literally just seen one (1) pumpkin spice item being sold. like, ever. that was a coffee shop chain, but i've never tried it or seen it elsewhere
I live in Finland and the chain coffee houses sell seasonal pumpkin spice lates (and also pumpkin buns!) which are popular, but there is no pumpkin stuff sold in grocery stores at all.
I'm from Quebec and I moved to France 2 years ago. I never was a pumpkin spice person, but I was exposed to it basically since I was born (2002 baby). In France, no one consumes pumpkin spice, even the Starbucks latte aren't a thing. It was a little weird at first cause I'm used to fall being pumpkin time around me, but I like it, we can focus on things I like better
Here in Australia pumpkin is generally eaten as a savoury vegetable (roasted pumpkin eaten with meats or in a salad or as an addition to say a ravioli served with savoury cheeses or as a savoury soup) we don’t eat “pumpkin pie” in Australia as a dessert so the concept of “pumpkin spice” doesn’t generally sell well here as the association is that pumpkin is savoury not sweet - the idea of adding “pumpkin” anything so say a cup of coffee doesn’t hold the same appeal over here
U.K. here. You can get Pumpkin Spice in all the coffee shops now and in candles. It not common to find it in other aspects though. I went to San Francisco in 2022 and couldn’t believe the options everywhere. I may have brought some home. Also that colour is so nice on you!
Can you please do a video on Halloween overconsumption? I'm not fron the US , so i actually don't get why everyone there loves this holiday so much. Also I don't like the idea of buying a new constume every single year, as well as a lot of cheap plastic spooky decor. Maybe you can give people some edvice how enjoy Halloween in a reasonable way
I'm portuguese, only in the last couple of years have we have some pumpkin spice theme things... we use pumpkin in our cuisine but not with the spices associated to "pumpkin spice" but with the rise of tiktok, instagram and globalism in the last few years the celebration of fall started to be present in Portugal, so now we have several stores selling fall and halloween (that we traditionally don't celebrate) decor and places like starbucks started to have pumpkin spice drinks; supermarkets like aldi and lidl's have themed weeks, and they also sell pumpkin spice and fall themed food, the other supermarkets don't really do that.
In Norway you can find pumpkin spice coffee at large chain coffee shops. But most people I've talked to associate the spices used more with Christmas than fall.
That's a great colour on you! Pumpkin spice has been an option in coffee shops here in the UK for a few years, and it seems like they really try to hype it up as a thing but I don't know how popular it is. Oddly I was an an independent coffee shop last week with my friend who works there, who is from the US, and she put pumpkin spice in her coffee, and when she asked it I wanted it I realised I actually had no idea what flavour that was, I assumed it was actually pumpkin pie flavoured, but it turned out it's just the spices. I don't know if that's just me and I'm too old or have been under a rock! In terms of the general Autumn tat madness, that definitely is ramping up also, certainly when I was younger people here would never have decorated or bought new things for Autumn, and probably anyone would have said that was an 'American' thing to do, but is probably a lot more standard now.
During my very first day in my Master’s program, my teacher started class with a. “attendance question”. That attendance question was, “What’s your opinion on pumpkin spice?” And it’s like one girl in my class said: “It’s fine sometimes, but some things just shouldn’t be pumpkin spiced.”
Finland here. I tried to think if we have anything pumpkin spiced here, and the answer is one (1) ice cream 😂 Considering how pumpkins only made it back here in maybe last 10 years, I am not surprised. Those things require such a long growing period that our summers used to be too short to grow them!
In Russia pumpkin spice flavor was introduced by Starbucks, but wasn't met that well. Now you may find it in aesthetic recipe or some craft coffee shop of bakery
I live in Southern California. It doesnt get cooler until November (It's still 28-30degC..). To get in the Fall spirit, i switch out my summer desk decor for my Halloween/Dia de los Muertos decor. When i go grocery shopping, i sometimes indulge in some pumpkin spice desserts (ex: Trader Joe's pumpkin blondies). With fashion, i go for my Fall colors and sometimes wear my cotton trench coat if the mornings/evenings are kinda chilly
Japanese viewer here, we started to get Starbucks PSLs in the fall (sept/oct) a few years ago but our autumnal fav is typically the roasted chestnut latte and frappe (been around longer) so I see more people have that! (Edit: that and probably sweet potato flavored stuff too)
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The burnt orange colour is great on you. 10/10 you should wear that top more often in your everyday 😊
I agree
As a non American i associate pumpkin spices as basically gingerbread spices or mulled wine. Clove, cinnamon, etc.
The difference is basically just proportions. Pumpkin spice is mostly cinnamon and nutmeg
Please do ‘luxury’ advent calendars 🤣🤣 Craziness!!!
Id watch that
Yes 😭 like they cost more than my Christmas gifts it’s wild 💀
YES I would love to see her speak on this topic!!
@@aw5595 only gifts?, nah fam they cost more than literally all of my family's gifts PLUS our whole dang nochebuena dinner combined, it's outrageous
Yes these are wild! My husband wanted a coffee advent calendar and I was like uh no lmao, advent calendars are homemade or they’re the cheapy chocolate ones for kids and that’s it 😂
I'm from Germany and while I heard about the pumpkin spice craze there is nothing like this in Germany. Even pumpkin spice as a spice mix is not a thing here. So to see why everyone on my ForYou Page loved it so much I tried making a pumpking spice latte myself last fall...let's just say I hope I did it wrong because there is no way people are drinking that 😅😂
It's basically Lebkuchengewürz without the aniseed, it's cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. It's a super basic 'christald cookie' spice mix.
DM (a German drug store) is getting more and more into the pumpkin spice craze. The had pumpkin spice popcorn, mug cakes, spread etc.
@@marlydTotally! The first one I tried the Starbucks pumpkin spice coffee, all I could taste was the cheap supermarket Lebkuchen! So wierd.
@@chma16 I tried pumpkin spice for the first time this year and had to thrown it away. It was so gross
@@chma16 McDonald's also has a pumpkin spice latte around this time for a few years now and I personally love it lol 😅 but you're right, except for dm there isn't really anything in the stores.. I bought myself a bottle of pumpkin spice syrup because my husband and I really enjoy it in our coffee :)
I remember in 2003, before the Pumpkin Spice craze, people would get SUPER excited to see eggnog in the stores around the holidays. Eggnog had it's little heyday, but nothing like the neverending pumpkin spice trend.
I never tried PSL but I have to admit the eggnog latte has a little hold on my nostalgia 😅
I do love eggnog, so I still get excited. 😂
@@disgruntledmoderate5331Same here lol
I remember! I used to scoff at my parents each year! They were stoked about it every December!😂
You just unlocked a memory of going through a faze of enjoying eggnog chai. You're right that eggnog doesn't seem to have the power of PSL or even peppermint
One thing I want to add that I don't see in here much. In Europe pumpkins are more of a savoury thing. For me when I think autumn and pumpkins I think of things like roasted pumpkins or pumpkin soup. As a sweet desert like pie, pumpkin is one of the last things I would think of.
True. Other than pumpkin jam and a Christmas pastry, in Portugal we eat mostly in savoury form.
Yes! I've never wanted to taste pumpkin pie because it sounds disgusting haha
The pumkins we buy to roast have a bit of sweetness to them so I can see how it could be used in a pie
I wouldn't say pumpkin pie is particularly sweet. pie crust isn't sweet, and the pumpkin is spiced (hence pumpkin spice) so I personally don't think it's sweet. Sometime people add whipped cream or ice cream to it though to make it more sweet
@@morganshryock4847 I mean one of the main ingredients is sugar. It is a sweet pie variety.
I was so happy when you recognized this is a North American phenomenon. In most videos made by americans (of any topic, tbh, not just fall themed videos) it seems like there is a lack of acknowledgement that some topics not a universal thing, but a very regional/cultural one. Idk it just made me happy to hear this.
By the way, pumpkin spice is not a thing at all here in Brazil. Also it's spring in the southern hemisphere, so maybe not the best time of the year for something "cozy" hahaha
Also I didn't know pumpkin spice does not actually involve pumpkin, but are just a mix of regular spices?? Mindblown.
I recently started watching an Australien RUclipsr and only now thought about how people celebrate Easter in winter and Christmas in the summer on the southern half that is the mind blowing concept for me at 30 years old. 😅
THIS OMG!! the overarching america-centricism in online spaces is exhausting to deal with.
Yep, no actual pumpkin. I do like all the spices in it, so I like the spice blend, but some items that come with only the spice and no pumpkin make me sad, as I love pumpkin.
I did wonder why "pumpkin" was in the "pumpkin spice latte", as an Aussie I couldn't fathom drinking anything with pumpkin in it, other than soup.
@@alisonsmith7162 It would probably be better if they added some actual pumpkin!
oh i literally breathed a sigh of relief when i opened youtube and saw this 😅 your videos are so calming to me after a chaotic work day 💗
I hope you enojiy!
@@paige9954 I came here to say the exact same thing ❤️
Poland here - it arrivied to us as a pumpkin spice latte coffee drink a few years ago, but this is basically it. We do not have it as a spice mix and there aren't any food variations with this flavor (if there are they are certainly not common). More common flavor is apple and cinammon but to be honest it is not really hyped, it just shows up as a variation for a couple of products (i know only of one yogurt and a pudding). Although, we do have similar spice mix but it is called a ginger spice. It is defenietly not that hyped and not added to everything. It is rather Associated with winter not fall. It is used to make gingerbread and maybe some winter drinks like tea and mulled wine. Pumpkin as a vegatable is getting more common each year, a lot of recipies how to make meals with it start showing up during fall.
In Germany, it's called Lebkuchengewürz. That's why Germany doesn't show up in the Google search statistics.
It's also more popular in the Christmas season.
This may entirely contribute! I just looked it up and it's more of a gingerbread spice?
@@shawnaripari Yep, Lebkuchengewürz is definitely gingerbread spice (it's the literal translation: Lebkuchen = Gingerbread, Gewürz = Spice). It's similar, but not the same as Pumpkin Spice, which isn't really a thing here in Germany (except for Starbucks PSL).
@@Stacybell92oh I’d completely be on board for a lebkuchen trend, always time to celebrate when these arrive in my local Lidl and Aldi in their Christmas ranges (about a week ago in the UK)
@@maddie107 Hey I wonder if Lebkuchengewirz will make a lot of bank in the southern hemisphere? It may be unlikely, but such a spice mix can indeed come to Australian stores thanks to Aldi’s popularity here in my country.
@@maddie107 gingerbread lattes have been popular in the UK for a while which is basically the same. Would love a lebkuchen candle though!
Eta: In Belgium and the Netherlands we have our own psl, meaning we make everything speculoos/biscoff flavoured or stroopwafel flavoured.
I had a pumpkin spice latte once at Starbucks in Brussels and it just tasted like a spice blend we call by a different name and we don't traditionally make pumpkin pie. It tasted really bland for how crazy people are about it in Northern America. I've also never had a conversation about psl with someone in real life. It's an internet-only thing in my experience.
damn, sorry to hear it disappointed. Stroopwafel is super tasty though so that is a very big win to have such steady access
@@shawnaripari it's not that I disliked it, it just tasted like most autumn flavoured things here anyway. The spice profile is very close to anything autumn/winter here so it tasted more like 'fall coffee' and not really something new.
Is there such a thing as a biscoff latte? Because that sounds like it would be excellent.
@@notpartoftheplan biscoff is the port manteau of biscuit and coffee, it's because traditionally we dip the biscuits in our coffee. So yes, we have biscoff flavoured coffee drinks at coffee shops. One of the most conventional syrup brands for coffee here is Monin, they have a 'speculoos' flavour for sure.
I can attest to this, we traditionally call it seasoning or spice for gingerbread here in America before it got branded as singular "pumpkin spice", I served my European friends dad, apple pie with all the spices to make "pumpkin spice" and he asked if I used spices to make ginger bread for the filling, which I was surprised me because everyone calls it pumpkin spice since like 2010's and it was what I had grown use to. I think it would make more sense to call it Autumnal spice if you really want to put it in a box.
The olfactory memory is really an interesting phenomenon. Even the smell of dead fish might trigger positive memories, like a holiday with a stroll along the harbour with the fishermen coming back in.
I do like a pumpkin spice coffee or snack-to be completely honest I was buying my first round of pumpkin spice coffee at the supermarket back in *August*, lol-but I think it’s twofold for me. One, it’s a fairly harmless/inexpensive way to sneak in that “having a li’l treat” feeling (I make coffee at home rather than go out for it), and two, I’ve lived in the same mid-south U.S. area for 20+ years and the climate really has shifted dramatically, and it’s not that cool until much later in the year (it also snows much less in the winter), so to a certain extent I think I might be trying to give myself the ✨vibe✨ of the cooler months if I can’t actually have the weather.
Appreciate the thought-provoking commentary and the company while I washed dishes! And that sweater is super cute too ☺️🍁
I think you're so right that the pumpkin spiced drinks and snacks can be a great lil treat that feels a little extra special given the limited edition aspect of it too
I feel the same way about trying to experience fall again even though it doesn’t even happen in October anymore 😅 it makes me so sad, it doesn’t even get cold until like, december or january where I live some years! And it used to be a foot of snow on the ground my November at the latest. This was when I was a kid- only a couple of decades ago 😢
I enjoy PSL too. But I waited until mid-September to order my first pumpkin spice iced coffee from Dunkins and to make my first batch of pumpkin spice syrup because I was on vacation with my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces/nephews.
A viewer from India here! We do have the PSL at Starbucks but that's really about it.
Generally though, we don't tend to have 'seasonal' flavors or scents here. There might be foods associated with certain harvest seasons or festivals but that's more a case of limited availability. I'd love to hear your perspective on how seasonality causes people to overconsume! I know people in India tend to go overboard shopping during our Diwali festival, since that's when you're traditionally supposed to buy new things. Of course, companies love to take advantage of that!
That's really interesting! I would love to hear more about other cultures' trends and consumerism differs from North America.
Right! Same with peppermint mocha during Christmas season. Only heard about these in starbucks and bath & body works.. for Indians nostalgia is the smell of frying pakoras during rainy monsoon season.. and aroma of ghee while making sweets during diwali season.. 😊
Watcher from the Netherlands here :) The only association I have with pumpkin spice is Starbucks - that's it. Though we have other fall/winter related foods that generate some hype (= stores are selling it from August onwards), like kruidnoten, speculaas and marsepein. To each culture their own, I suppose.
I'm so glad you are talking about this. I was/am excited for pumpkin spice, but i was alarmed when it started popping up on August and is now EVERYWHERE. It honestly has started to lose it's charm because of that.
nooooo, sorry to hear its lost a bit of it's charm for you
I’ve talked to people in my life about a theory I have regarding “literal versus cultural seasons” and pumpkin spice is one of the things I’ve brought up in regard to “cultural fall”, which I’ve theorized starts mid-August. Not only with pumpkin spice, but also association with back to school in the US- with most districts returning during the last half of August, and before I grew up and started drinking coffee that was my big association with fall.
I think the religious element is interesting when coming at this from the idea of using pumpkin spice (or peppermint or whatever) to mark the seasons or the passage of time; historically that would have been done with religious festivals (example: no one celebrates Candlemas anymore) but as more and more people are not religious, using something else to mark the passage of time becomes helpful to anchor us in the year. That's my theory anyway
Except the craze keeps starting earlier and earlier so it loses its "marking time or seasons" purpose unlike the festivals that hardly moved around
@@aesinam so true, which is because capitalism 😭
Love your excitement about the shirt you already had! Helps me to think I don’t need a whole wardrobe of new fall clothes
It's good that you talked about this association of smells and experiences that are also tied to fall. I live in Ecuador where there are no seasons (just rainy or dry), and pumpkin spice is almost not a thing. Distributors of products like torani syrups, especially the pumpkin spice, only earn money from fancy coffee shops trying to copy the US, not from individual clients. I didn't even know the brand existed until a friend of mine who is American asked me to help her buy some. She was so into the pumpkin spice syrup and when I tried it with my coffee it really didn't strike me as special, but I'm sure she has formed this connection of nostalgia with the flavor that I obviously haven't.
Pumpkin spice is pretty close to the spice mix we use for gingerbread in the Nordics, so it's more Christmassy for us than an autumn thing. I do like it, though, the season is just different.
Same in Portugal
UK here!😊
I must be honest, I do love pumpkin spice latte and I have them quite often during the 'season'.
I always buy a couple of pumpkin spice candles to get me through the winter moths, too. I also put out my little china pumpkin ornaments that I've had a very long time.
I truly enjoy it, but I do it in moderation. My little display and my candles bring me joy for months on end and I burn my candles up fully so there's no waste.
The outfit,the thumbnail, the vibe IS INDEED GIVING 😂❤
@@theturnonlist Fr it’s such cute fall vibes
omg thank you 😭
This is so interesting! As a UK person who's always enjoyed the way Americans make such a big thing out of autumn, I watched with great interest when the "pumpkin spice" branding became a thing and basically took over. As someone else mentions, it's interesting how what used to be a generic spice mix for baking got this cultural intensification around it based on... really, it did seem to come purely from Starbucks and similar brands doing the lattes.
I think you're very astute in how you break it down here: autumn to me feels like the most beautifully ephemeral and fleeting of seasons, but the demands of capitalism make it hard to slow down and enjoy it right when you most want to, because the leaves are starting to turn and you know you'll see new things literally every day that you walk outside in nature... so it figures that people like having a commodified, packaged, affordable thing that gives them a ghost of that high, but they can find it on every city street corner.
hi! barista from poland here (not starbucks so cant speak on that) we do have a pumpkin syrup for coffee but its not our most popular even is peak psl season. other than that we have nothing, no pumpkin spiced items in the supermarket not even pumpkin puree!! when i wanted to make a pumkpkin spiced syrup at home i had to buy a whole pumpkin peel it chop it cook and puree it myself
No pumpkin puree? That's so interesting!
I should point out, though, that in the US there's no pumpkin involved in "pumpkin spice" anything *most of the time* (obviously there are exceptions). It's very annoying. So you're already doing better than us because you actually used pumpkin 🧡
IN the US, though, "pumpkin spice" doesn't even have pumpkin in it. They are just the spices that are used to spice a pumpkin pie.
I make my own pumpkin syrup also
@@faeriesmak yeah, I also noticed that in Poland in small and speciality coffee cafes the pumpkin spice drinks usually contain the real pumpkin puree. I was very surprised that US pumpkin spice often does not contain pumpkin. Although I also tried to make my own pumpkin spice syrup at home and US recipies did need the pumpkin puree.
I have a ginormous sweet tooth and the time between Easter and Halloween is the longest period you have without seasonal candy. For six months of the year you have a holiday with special candy just about every two months .
Scotland here. Pumpkin spice has certainly been marketed to us (initially via Starbucks) in recent years. Other chains and small, local coffee shops have followed suit. Hallow E'en is a traditional holiday for us and we have used pumpkins (rather than the traditional turnips) to make lanterns since maybe the 1990's I think. (Have to say they are a definite improvement - I think anyone who has chiselled the inside out of a turnip would agree.) It's interesting that, in my experience, pumpkin spice is a far more recent arrival. I don't buy these drinks but I do get the sense that nowadays people here start to get excited for the arrival of a 'special' autumnal hot drinks menu, including pumpkin spice coffees, alongside flavoured hot chocolates. I don't see pumpkin spice groceries at the supermarket (yet), but, where America leads, we follow - I don't doubt they are in the retail pipeline.
England here and I feel like I've seen the occasional pumpkin spice item in other areas like food or the kind of candles/bath stuff area. But it is definitely nowhere near the US and Canada level. UK businesses seem obsessed with trying to push Americanised concepts onto us, generally speaking.
Tbh, given how miserable a season autumn is here (I live in the North West, all seasons are just "Wet and..."), I think we are primed to be sold any sort of little bit of joy possible while trudging through sodden fallen leaves.
@feralnonbinaryautistic same here in Australia- it's so odd given that it's Spring here, we don't consider pumpkin a sweet food, and Halloween isn't a thing here except thanks to American media making it popular as an excuse to decorate/dress up/eat lollies
@@nicoler5713 Oooh yes! I hadn''t really thought about candles & smellies, but I think it is creeping in there.
I agree and disagree about pumpkin carving. While neep are hard work to carve, you end up with a raggedy line that looks creepy, and it does look more like an actual head.
Maybe I just don't leave the house enough, but I don't think PSL has managed to really break through like in North America. But you may be right, the swamp of products may just be coming down the line.
@@Elspm More power to you in your neep carving!
Yes. I think part of the difference here is that pumpkins themselves aren't something we eat much &, from the start, they were marketed as something to make lanterns out of. I suspect most people treat the innards as waste. There isn't the same strong association with 'yummy' as in the US, but the marketeers do like a challenge.
Your description of the Christmas store flip unlocked memories of my time working at British home stores (lol) and getting up at 5am to do the flip and then listening to the same 12 Christmas tracks at work for weeks on end 😭
I'm in the UK and as a child I absolutely loved seeing the over night flip from Halloween displays to christmas.
we have a boyes in the town centre with a huge display window.
October 31st full Halloween display November 1st full Christmas display with animatronics.
I decided to watch this as I was making myself my monthly batch of pumpkin pie syrup. I loved that it made me reflect on my consumerism while making something from scratch
I'm from an European country and the American pumpkin spice culture has spread here in recent years. Now cafes do offer pumpkin spice lattes, but funnily enough the drink names are always in English instead of our own language. The American pumpkin spice is such a strong branding and concept, that we're widely using the English term instead of our own - I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be as popular if instead of the familiar "pumpkin spice latte" it was called "kurpitsalatte" (in Finnish).
Personally I've tasted a pumpkin spice latte once or twice, but I don't actually know what the spice tastes like so there's no familiarity to me and I don't associate it with fall. I can't remember what it tasted like, nothing much really.
this is a really interesting idea about pumpkin spice being such a distinct American concept Thank so much for sharing!
Unless you grew up eating pumpkin pie on thanksgiving I can see why it’s seems so weird! Same with egg nog at Christmas!
suomi finland perkele
as a fall lover and summer hater, the anticipation and early release of pumpkin spice extends my favorite season while cutting off my least favorite
In the Southern USA here. We don’t get changing colors beyond dead-brown and we reach a hard freeze well after Thanksgiving (with no snow, of course). Fall daytime temps can dip into the 60s F, so we don’t get much use from fluffy sweaters. We do have pumpkins and pumpkin spice though.
To celebrate the season I make my own pumpkin spice syrup for coffee and tea, or drizzle on waffles. There are lots of recipes out there, and I think making one batch of syrup is cheaper than a single store bought psl, and will set you up to make a good dozen coffees at home.
I’m trying to grow my own pumpkins for carving and eating, but so far the pests have harvested more than I have. I have grown my own decorative corn and popcorn though, and that was much easier than I expected.
I have a huge pumpkin vine in my yard with two huge pumpkins on there and a couple of small ones. It takes a lot of water to grow them maybe that's the issue. Once the leaves develop you have to start soaking them in the evening. If the leaves start drooping during the heat of the day add more water. Good luck if you ever try growing them again.
@@kimberlyhood4095thanks! I’m in Texas, so watering is always a key factor here! I think my main issue has been vine borers though. I was picking multiple grubs and eggs daily all through the end of September and into the first week of October. Even my butternut squash- which is supposed to be resistant- were nearly wiped out. The pests seem to have finally gone inactive and my vine is now sending out another round of female blossoms- one week from Halloween. So no Jack o’Lanterns, but hopefully I’ll still get something before a hard frost. I think I’ll have to try nematodes if I plant pumpkins next year- and double up on the watering. Maybe they can outgrow the borers faster than they can get eaten 🤷♀️
@@DracoTriste I live in Texas also! What part of the state are you in? I'm in the Panhandle on the prairie, it gets hotter than the surface of the sun by July here. The crazy thing with mine this year is my son mowed them down and I just kept watering them! I was amazed that it worked but my kids always tell me my green thumbs could grow anything. Nope, I can kill roses. Lol
Pumpkin spice coffee drinks and other foods are my guilty pleasure. I am a tea drinker, but during pumpkin spice season, I will go to different coffee shops pretty much weekly to drink their pumpkin spice/other fall themed coffees... My husband increases our dining out budget for this time of year because of it. He also made me a pumpkin spice syrup so he will make me drinks at home. 😅
I go to Starbucks sometimes to work on my laptop. Last time I was in there in early September, I finally decided to get a coffee because I was so tired (I never get Starbucks) and when I was paying for my white mocha, the lady said “are you sure you don’t want a pumpkin spice latte??” I was like maam, I’m literally PAYING. I just responded “haha not yet” and she said “ugh everyone is saying that!!”. That really opened my eyes to how much companies push this stuff… and how people really love to reserve it for a specific time period. It’s fascinating!
In Finland we get gingerbread sweets (icecream, chocolates) and glögi (warm wine thing). Havent seen pumpkin spices
I enjoy fall by wearing my roomiest clothes and large socks and watching a tv show or curl up with a book. I also love fall jogging, the air is so crisp!
We don’t do Pumpkin Spice in Australia - but a lot of our Christmas foods have what we call mixed spice - nutmeg/clove/cinnamon/ginger/allspice blend that we put in Christmas cakes, puddings, biscuits etc.
We also have chai spice drinks which are generally milky hot tea with similar spices. It’s not a seasonal thing though.
I have to say, this is probably one of my favorite videos of yours! I know it isn't really replicatable, but going into the sort of history and science behind the pumpkin spice phenomena was super interesting and different.
I watch your videos when I want to relax, your voice is so soothing yet you’re so entertaining at the same time.
Me and my dad’s responsibility for thanksgiving and Christmas was the desert. So my memories of pumpkin spice is baking pumpkin pies with my dad. But it’s not only pumpkin pie- we also made apple and pecan pie. I do love pumpkin spice, but I also love pumpkin itself. So some of the pumpkin spice products don’t do it for me. But I’d always go for any pumpkin spice baked goods. It also helps that I know that anytime I crave it, I can simply bake myself a pumpkin pie. Though it does taste better with fresh pumpkins.
Orange looks absolutely amazing on you! You definitely look cute in both tops
tbh whenever i go to the store for a big grocery day i tend to get myself a treat anyways, so when autumn starts i’ll just get pumpkin ice cream or one of the limited edition flavors. i also use coffee creamer regularly, so getting pumpkin spice creamer is free to me because i was going to get it anyways, now its seasonal! honestly living in a cooler climate has helped me feel more “in season” as now i get to wear sweaters and feel what i always dreamed of as a floridian, so it’s always good to look at why we’re chasing that feeling of fall via consumerism so viciously, and ask ourselves if it’ll even help
I’m obsessed with fall because the weather cools down. I also dislike pumpkin spice flavor, unless it’s pumpkin pie. I think it’s pretty funny how much people associate “pumpkin spice” with fall when the only time I have pumpkin anything is at thanksgiving.
I’m in my forties and I love pumpkin spice. Have ever since its inception. However, I would note that every year things seem to get crazier and crazier with the items included on offer in that flavor. There’s so much out there now it’s really overwhelming. And they seem to slap the pumpkin spice label onto pretty much everything. Especially quite a lot of items that should not be pumpkin spice. It’s gotten out of control in my opinion. The only other pumpkin spice item I’ve tried besides coffee and whipped cream and pie has been cookies and pumpkin bread. (Desserts really) -Nearly everything else just sounds gross.
I think people get excited because it’s fun to see the seasons change in the next stage of life in the year. Seeing the progress of nature around us helps to keep our outlook fresh and upbeat. Unfortunately consumerism has taken over every single season change, every holiday, every event in our lives.
I worked retail for years. I understand how and why the retail stores begin each holiday two to three months out from said holiday. I don’t always like it. But I understand it. It’s all about making money. I moved from a state that was excessive consumerism to a state where locals get angry with holiday items being put out in stores too early. People who have never had to work retail don’t understand why companies push holidays so much. It makes them frustrated and angry when they feel like they’re being “pushed” to buy items and decorate for holidays before they’re ready. The other thing you talked about is scarcity; I can tell you I live in a small town. We don’t get a ton of stock in our stores for holiday items. People freak out and tend to over buy because they know that once it’s gone on the shelves it’s gone. If you wait until the actual holiday to prep for said holiday, there’s nothing left. I think this also angers people. They don’t like feeling that others are being “selfish” or over-buying.
I use pumpkin spices year round, primarily cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, so I don't go nuts when the retailers start pushing their brews. My nostalgia drink is the apple cider drink mix by Alpine.
Premier Protein shakes have a Pumpkin Spice flavor that's seasonal. It tastes just like pumpkin pie, and I love it. I get some every year. It's a nice break from the chocolate flavors I usually drink. It costs the same, and the protein shakes are something I drink anyway, so I'm not spending money on something I usually wouldn't buy.
that top looks really good on you indeed ;) from my little corner of France, away from big cities, pumpkin spice does not exist at alL. not even into the spices rack. we use some of the same spices into our autumnal dishes and cook all sorts of squashes but even the halloween vibe with pumpkins around has died during the last year because people prefer to eat than to decorate. Even christmas decorations has gone to minimum. it is a very weird feeling to see that american people seem to suffer far more from the global prices rise and general financial instability but that they are still buying so much of non essential things just to follow trends. it is why your videos fascinate me. it reminds me that even if we have been "americanized", we are still very different civilsations.
I've been binging your content for weeks now. We're moving and your content has already done so much to curb my chaos home decor buying. And I'm starting to fall in love with the beaten up, slightly grubby clothes and makeup I have ☺
I live in Austria (Europe) but I 'm Czech - just over the border from Austria. This year I have decided to enjoy the autumn mood as much as I can, with Halloween and pumpkin spice latte. I haven't noticed it in cafes as much yet. I got a spice mix for a homemade latte at dm (a popular drugstore chain). However, at a different drugstore, they have a whole psl themed collection a thermo mug, manicure set, makeup sponge, candle,...
Interesting topic. I'm from Lithuania, small country, and pumpkin spice is rare here. I believe only in the last decade it actually started showing up here, usually found in coffee shops as a seasonal flavor for one type of latte etc. I also see candles or wax melts in this scent being sold, but also very scarcely. I would say apple pie and gingerbread smells are way more popular here. I really liked your opinion about the memories and connections. I noticed that in recent years I must have pumpkin or cinnamon scents at home during autumn. I formed many warm and lovely memories over the years with these scents around during this season, so now I am looking forward to them each autumn.
I’m from the Netherlands and I also only know it from Starbucks but I don’t actually know anybody that actually drinks or even talks about this
Yep, yep, yep - it has become the representation of a time of year for me. I suspect my experience, although unique, has elements for many moms. August brings feelings of failure and panic and inadequacy because I have two severely disabled kids who do not get their therapies in August. It is up to me to provide everything for them in August, and I fail, always. I go to,bed defeated all August; it’s bad. Soooooo, PSL has come to be equated with hope, rejuvenation and feelings that my kids will not decline when the drinks and flavor comes out in late August.
That colour of the shirt is really great and looks good on you :)
I live in Germany and that pumpkin spice thing can be seen a bit in the stores, but nothing compared to north america. We have different spices here. For example Lebkuchengewürz (gingerbread spice), Glühweingewürz (mulled wine spice) or in a city (and some villages around) in the very west of Germany you can get Printen and the spices of that. Printen are similar to ginger bread but taste a bit different
Before I even clicked on the video, I thought: Damn, I LOVE that shirt on Shawna! Now that I've watched the intro, I feel the need to also leave that here as a comment. 😂 🧡
Switzerland here! We do have 4 seasons and I enjoy watching trees turning yellow, orange and red 🍁 Pumpkin spice was slowly growing in the country since a few years ago, mostly because of Starbucks but also with North American communities of people working in American companies established here, we got used to the Holiday traditions.
Love these consistent uploads! ❤❤
I’m so glad i just found your channel, thank you. That top is sooooo pretty ❤
Glad to have you here and that you're enjoying the channel!
I’m a PSL girly and I had Starbuck’s once this season and I thought it was disgusting(I have a growing disappointment with Starbucks) So since I make my own espresso drinks at home anyways, I made my own pumpkin spice syrup (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, sugar and water ) and started making my own and it is so satisfying. But, I do not have a desire for pumpkin spice in spring or summer. I live in a hot climate so this is the only autumn I get (along with cozy candles)
I grew up with sweet potato pie, which is similar to pumpkin.
I saw another russian comment and just wanted to add... here it's usually referred to as just "pumpkin latte" and some coffeeshops may add it on a fall special menu. I noticed that specialty coffee places definitely love this recipe though (and dumping pureed pumpkin in coffee drinks i guess). But I also live in a pretty big city, so this might not be true for other regions
However, my favorite boba place came out with pumpkin spice boba this year and it was a huge disappointment for me since it tasted just like spicy tea (that they have on the menu already) but cost way more (but it kind of makes sense now considering what you said about pumpkin spice being a blend for a pie)
I'm in the UK and have noticed a massive increase in pumpkin spice and seasonal decor in the last 5 years. Prior to this, you would be hard pressed to find autumnal decor in any shops, and only Starbucks had a PSL on offer, whereas now you can find pumpkin-themed decor creeping even into regular supermarkets.
I wonder if this is due to social media and the increased visibility of the North American fall aesthetic online. We still don't have pureed pumpkin, pumpkin spice mix or pumpkin spice flavoured food items, but I don't think it will be long until we do.
Most supermarkets sell canned pumpkin puree and have done for a while, they're usually in the American food section.
I grow my own pumpkins every year, display them on my porch and then use them to make pumpkin paste for pies, cookies and bread for the holidays. I've done this for over 30 years. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it over the years. I have two huge one's ready to be cut from the vines and displayed in a few days.
I’m in the UK and i see pumpkin spice drinks in Starbucks and Costa (they are waaaay too sweet for my liking). We have pumpkin decorations in every shop but drinks specifically maybe in some shops but not like in the US.
I’ve bought apple and spices bleach once - was on sale for 49cents for a litre and it smelled like bleach.
I know there are a few UK influencers that release cleaning products seasonally, so there might be fall inspired febreeze or kitchen/bathroom cleaners. The candle aisles are always popping this time of year.
That colour looks amazing on you!!❤
This whole concept is hilarious 😅 No more Fall season. It's actually pumpkin spice season 😅
Hello from Italy!!! Pumpkins for us are just vegetables used in savoury dishes, nothing more (although delicious, it’s one of my favourite vegetables). Here the pumpkin spice craze could be associated with chestnuts: during fall you can find any sort of pastry and flours with it and sometimes even home decor, but not as crazy as in the US.
I need the Italian chestnut trend to spill over towards the north lol. I'm utterly obsessed with chestnuts but the fresh ones we get here in Germany are often low quality and chestnut treats are practically unheard of. What is your favorite chestnut pastry? Maybe I can look up a recipe and try it the next time I can get my hands onto good chestnuts.
@ low quality chestnuts are such a disappointment. My favourite is a cake that puts inside pieces marrons glacés (basically candied chestnuts, I find them in the super market) and on top has a crumble of brown sugar and butter. Unfortunately the cake hasn’t a defined name but I think online there are a lot of recipes (mine is from Benedetta Parodi, a famous Italian show cooker)
I used to be very excited about the famous pumpkin spice, and once I bought a spice mix in an American store in Europe, and I was terribly waiting for it to finally arrive and I could taste this specialty, and I felt a tiny bit of disappointment when I opened it, because then I realized that it has exactly the same smell and taste as what we know as "mézeskalács" spice in Hungary. It is a traditional sweet Christmas pastry with honey in it, that has been very popular since the early Middle Ages. It is quite similar to what is called "gingerbread" in other countries, but ours has a less strong taste, so it is just like pumpkin spice. It wasn't a big-big disappointment because I really like this and have used it up, it's just that it wasn't as special as I expected.
The fact is that in Hungary, until the spread of social media, no one ever thought of mixing "mézeskalács" spice into a latte, but since everyone has been talking about it throughout October, you can already find such recipes here too :-)
I live in Panama and pumpkin anything is unheard of! For example, you can only get canned pumpkin pie puree around christmas time and in certain stores that tend to carry more american brands than the average grocery store. People tend to equate pumpkin to savory dishes like in soups. It's not at all a thing people here consume.
this is so interesting, thank you so much for sharing!!
I think it's because pumpkins are only grown in North America.
@@disgruntledmoderate5331 There's local vegetables that are like pumpkin..kinda like the gourd type of veggie? The big orange pumpkins don't grow here so people have no sentimental connection to anything pumpkin related or even Halloween mostly.
Hya Czech republic here, pumpkin spice not really much seen in shops, we do have the Starbucks chain though.
BUT our family does love pumpkins - we make soups and pies and even pumpkin marmelade. Pumpkins are great for cooking and they are easy enough to grow in our garden...
hey, shawna! thanks a lot for another video
thank you so much for sharing your experience!
I live in the UK and I used to go to Starbucks frequently (much less in the past year). Pumpkin Spice lattes are becoming more popular, but they can usually only be found in Starbucks. Some smaller/local coffee chains have made Pumpkin Spice dupes, but I wouldn't say it's overly common or expected. It's hard to find edible pumpkins or pumpkin favoured foods. However, I would say that the 'commodification of fall' (or Autumn here!) is noticeable in other ways, such as home decor and and a growing emphasis on having the perfect autumnal wardrobe.
I think you hit the nail on the head with scarcity and also anticipation of Fall playing into the pumpkin spice craze.
Consumer culture really started ramping up in the 80s. When I was a kid/teen one of the most popular bumper stickers was "The one who dies with the most toys wins". This was definitely the mindset then.
You look amazing in this top!!! As for your questions, I was born and raised in Poland (central Europe) my whole life, and the Pumpkin Spice craze is just at its very beginning here I feel like. More and more people start to recognize it as its own thing, they can tell the taste, most still are afraid to try it because "it's so weird to mix pumpkin and sweet coffee". I personally love it, we mostly have it in our Starbucks and in form of candles, usually from Western stores. I feel like for me my love for PSL comes from my very big need to romanticize fall that I would normally be depressed for, as I hate the season and I'm affected with the seasonal affective disorder quite badly. PSL is one of not many things that I actually do look forward to and they can make my day when it's dark at 3 PM, rainy and muddy everywhere. I'm generally quite difficult to sell to, especially anything trendy, but PSL got me, because of this Fall issue of mine. Thank you for your videos, I love watching or listening to you!
Australian checking in here! With regards to pumpkin spice branded things, it really doesn't go much further than the drinks/food you can order at Starbucks - however, even then, it really doesn't make sense to have such drinks here when (due to us being in the southern hemisphere) it is Spring and we really don't feel any of those autumnal vibes associated with October in the northern hemisphere. Hence why I don't think it has much of a grip here compared to other places, despite how Americanised a lot of Australia has become in other aspects.
I think pumpkin spice works somewhat in the UK because the spices used in a pumpkin pie are similar to those used in our Christmas dishes (Mince pies and Christmas pudding) I see pumpkin spice come out and think of the countdown to Christmas slowly starting as the weather and other foods begin to change (eg stews not salads) but pumpkin spice doesn’t really expand beyond coffee and you don’t really see it in the supermarket
I don't have olfactory memory in an emotional sense. I can barely remember what things actually taste like, if I don't have them regularly. I remember if I liked something or not, but I often end up surprised how different things are from my imagination.
Music triggers memories for me the most.
For me it's mostly, I like fall therefore I'm excited for seasonal swaps and I generally like fall/winter products more than spring summer (I don't drink iced coffee, so summer is drag for me in terms of coffee). Fall gives my brain relief from all the brightness, long daylight hours and warmth.
I also love enjoying anticipation. I always decorate for christmas early and I enjoy the advent season more than christmas itself. for me, it's making the most of something I love.
That shade of orange is absolutely your color. All the hype is true!!
British person here! Pumpkin spice drinks are a relatively new thing, you can get them at places like Starbucks and Costa (British coffee shop very similar to Starbucks). You can also buy pumpkin spice syrups so you can make your own pumpkin spice coffees but there's not a massive amount of pumpkin spice products available it really is limited to hot drinks. You can buy/pick pumpkins for Halloween through September and October, we don't really consume pumpkins though, you might occasionally see a pumpkin soup but pumpkin pie is extremely rare. Gingerbread or peppermint or "Baileys" (alcohol in coffee or alcohol flavored coffee) are much more common than pumpkin spice.
I LOVE pumpkin spice. Not just during the fall, year round. I make iced pumpkin chai in the summer. However, a few years ago my dad bought a few bottles of pumpkin spice extract on clearance at walmart, and I still haven't gone through them. Instead of buying multiple pumpkin spice products I just use the extract and it's both way cheaper and way less wasteful. I do love a good candle or wall plugin but those last a long time, like a month or close to a month.
I`m from Norway and pumpkin spice is a thing that pops up in some cafes around this time, in certain drinks, but this year is the first time I`ve seen a product at the grocery store be pumpkin spiced flavored! It seems to be slowly coming here too
Pumpkin spice is available year round in the spice section of the grocery store... I've been a pumpkin spice fan since 1967 when grandma made a shaker filled with pumpkin psice and sugar to sprinkle on her holiday cookies instead of putting icing on them... Now the spicing in eggnog and eggnog products have an even shorter time on the sotre shelves then the pumpkin spice items do so I mixe both of them in what goes in my cart from September through February. My diet has always been seasonal... I curate my life, but I don't have the equipment to video tape it all.
I think another part of the reason pumpkin spice is such a North American thing is because pumpkins are native to North America and grow well there. They can grow alright in England in my experience (I used to live in England and was surprised to find pumpkins growing in the backyard of my last flat there), so it actually makes sense that the U.K. is the next most popular place for the drink outside of North America.
I'd disagree with it being about pumpkins growing for the UK. We don't really have a culture of eating pumpkin pie here (though we did have very early recipes for it, it just seems to have faded from popular consumption) and it is definitely an American thing to us (I saw a food magazine putting pumpkin pie on their cover recently and had a definite "not more American stuff..." moment). The popularity is probably more to do with the fact that American trends tend to leak over here, either through the spread of it via media/social media or businesses trying to make it happen, or a mix of the two which is probably what happened here. We heard Americans going nuts over PSLs, Starbucks went "hey, there's money to be made here!" And the rest is history.
I’m a lover of pumpkin pie and eggnog. The taste and scent being back cozy memories and feel so warm and comforting in the cold, dead, grey winter. I live in Texas, so there is no snow, everything is just brown and grey and leafless. We need simple and small pleasures to get through the big SAD lol. I think that’s why Hobby Lobby smells like cinnamon and spice - most people have good memories tied to the smell. It smells welcoming and cozy.
worked in a Starbucks in Germany for over 3 years and I remember people starting to ask about psl in July/August and even until Christmas. We also saw an influx of customers during this time. Most of the time we sold out of psl in just under two weeks for the whole year. Definitely underestimated how popular it would be here.
Okay so Pumpkin Spice definitely is available here in Germany, but the whole vibe around it is definitely more on par to Christmas products here. It starts in September till end of December and the selection is INSANE
as a swede, i've literally just seen one (1) pumpkin spice item being sold. like, ever. that was a coffee shop chain, but i've never tried it or seen it elsewhere
I live in Finland and the chain coffee houses sell seasonal pumpkin spice lates (and also pumpkin buns!) which are popular, but there is no pumpkin stuff sold in grocery stores at all.
I'm from Quebec and I moved to France 2 years ago. I never was a pumpkin spice person, but I was exposed to it basically since I was born (2002 baby). In France, no one consumes pumpkin spice, even the Starbucks latte aren't a thing. It was a little weird at first cause I'm used to fall being pumpkin time around me, but I like it, we can focus on things I like better
Here in Australia pumpkin is generally eaten as a savoury vegetable (roasted pumpkin eaten with meats or in a salad or as an addition to say a ravioli served with savoury cheeses or as a savoury soup) we don’t eat “pumpkin pie” in Australia as a dessert so the concept of “pumpkin spice” doesn’t generally sell well here as the association is that pumpkin is savoury not sweet - the idea of adding “pumpkin” anything so say a cup of coffee doesn’t hold the same appeal over here
U.K. here. You can get Pumpkin Spice in all the coffee shops now and in candles. It not common to find it in other aspects though. I went to San Francisco in 2022 and couldn’t believe the options everywhere. I may have brought some home.
Also that colour is so nice on you!
The "sense memories" concept is so wild. I tried & disliked pumpkin beverages. But I definitely have a sense memory about pumpkin bagels with my mom!
Can you please do a video on Halloween overconsumption? I'm not fron the US , so i actually don't get why everyone there loves this holiday so much. Also I don't like the idea of buying a new constume every single year, as well as a lot of cheap plastic spooky decor. Maybe you can give people some edvice how enjoy Halloween in a reasonable way
I'm portuguese, only in the last couple of years have we have some pumpkin spice theme things... we use pumpkin in our cuisine but not with the spices associated to "pumpkin spice" but with the rise of tiktok, instagram and globalism in the last few years the celebration of fall started to be present in Portugal, so now we have several stores selling fall and halloween (that we traditionally don't celebrate) decor and places like starbucks started to have pumpkin spice drinks; supermarkets like aldi and lidl's have themed weeks, and they also sell pumpkin spice and fall themed food, the other supermarkets don't really do that.
In Norway you can find pumpkin spice coffee at large chain coffee shops. But most people I've talked to associate the spices used more with Christmas than fall.
I once had a pumpkin spice vape while in the Midwest. By far the wildest form of pumpkin spice I’ve seen
That's a great colour on you!
Pumpkin spice has been an option in coffee shops here in the UK for a few years, and it seems like they really try to hype it up as a thing but I don't know how popular it is. Oddly I was an an independent coffee shop last week with my friend who works there, who is from the US, and she put pumpkin spice in her coffee, and when she asked it I wanted it I realised I actually had no idea what flavour that was, I assumed it was actually pumpkin pie flavoured, but it turned out it's just the spices. I don't know if that's just me and I'm too old or have been under a rock!
In terms of the general Autumn tat madness, that definitely is ramping up also, certainly when I was younger people here would never have decorated or bought new things for Autumn, and probably anyone would have said that was an 'American' thing to do, but is probably a lot more standard now.
During my very first day in my Master’s program, my teacher started class with a. “attendance question”. That attendance question was, “What’s your opinion on pumpkin spice?” And it’s like one girl in my class said: “It’s fine sometimes, but some things just shouldn’t be pumpkin spiced.”
Finland here. I tried to think if we have anything pumpkin spiced here, and the answer is one (1) ice cream 😂 Considering how pumpkins only made it back here in maybe last 10 years, I am not surprised. Those things require such a long growing period that our summers used to be too short to grow them!
In Russia pumpkin spice flavor was introduced by Starbucks, but wasn't met that well. Now you may find it in aesthetic recipe or some craft coffee shop of bakery
I live in Southern California. It doesnt get cooler until November (It's still 28-30degC..). To get in the Fall spirit, i switch out my summer desk decor for my Halloween/Dia de los Muertos decor. When i go grocery shopping, i sometimes indulge in some pumpkin spice desserts (ex: Trader Joe's pumpkin blondies). With fashion, i go for my Fall colors and sometimes wear my cotton trench coat if the mornings/evenings are kinda chilly
Japanese viewer here, we started to get Starbucks PSLs in the fall (sept/oct) a few years ago but our autumnal fav is typically the roasted chestnut latte and frappe (been around longer) so I see more people have that! (Edit: that and probably sweet potato flavored stuff too)