Every year many high brand cafes and coffee shops, such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, serve a polarizing fall drink called the pumpkin spice latte. This seasonal drink was first created in the Starbucks Seattle Headquarters in 2003 and swiftly became one of the chain’s most popular drinks, “selling over 600 million since its inception,” according to CNBC. Around 2012, however, the drink gained a reputation for being “basic,” a colloquialism for tastes that are boring, unoriginal, or superficial.
For the season of fall 2022, Pilot staff reporter Shaima Alnadesh asked 112 random Fort Hamilton students what their opinions were on the pumpkin spice latte. Most students replied that they were not a fan of this drink. About 66% said they dislike the pumpkin spice latte, whereas only 34% said they enjoy it. Many students feel that the drink is overrated and “mid,” another slang term that denotes something of poor quality.
“I like the pumpkin spice latte because I like the sweetness and the cinnamon. It reminds me of cinnamon rolls.” – Victoria, 11th grade
“I think it’s bad because it’s overrated and there’s not enough coffee in it.” — Elliott, 11th grade