PORTLAND, Maine — From coffee to candles, local retailers say pumpkin spice is still the fall favorite of 2023.
Despite adding delicious apple cider-infused drinks to the menu, Coffee By Design barista Valen Doe said at least 50 percent of the drinks they sell each day at their Congress Street location in Portland are “pumpkin pie lattes.”
"It's still a staple," Doe said.
Friday afternoon, Doe gushed over her personal in-house favorite, hot apple cider and a cinnamon sugar donut. She said the combination is like "eating an apple pie."
Coffee By Design customer John Paglia, of New York, shared Doe's enthusiasm for apples by ordering an apple cider latte, cheekily named " a Chai-der." Paglia said he loves all things fall but not pumpkin spice.
Corporate giants like Starbucks launched their first pumpkin spice latte 20 years ago. Other corporations like Dunkin' Donuts kicked off the 2023 pumpkin-centric season last month.
“It’s truly amazing to see our fans light up for this cherished flavor,” Dunkin' Chief Marketing Officer Jill McVicar Nelson said in a press release. “Every year, we can practically feel the buzz around our pumpkin lineup.”
Autumn scents
Let’s be honest. If you buy fall-fusion coffee every morning, you will most likely buy a pumpkin-scented candle at some point this season.
A Yankee Candle employee at the Maine Mall said her store is selling about 100 pumpkin-scented candles a week.
On the candle company's website, they describe their best-seller Spiced Pumpkin as, “pumpkins baked in simmering spices of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and sweetened with brown sugar.”
There is no way to know if pumpkin spice will ever become a thing of the past, but as for 2023, Mainers say it’s here to stay.