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Pumpkin spice nudging summer off the calendar | TribLIVE.com
Food & Drink

Pumpkin spice nudging summer off the calendar

Mary Pickels
Mary Pickels
1564761_web1_gtr-liv-pumpspice1-082019
Facebook | Dunkin’
Before summer even ends, coffee purveyors are rolling out pumpkin spice drinks and sweets.
1564761_web1_gtr-liv-pumpspice2-082019
Facebook | Starbucks
Pumpkin spice latte returns to Starbucks’ stores early this year.

The calendar reads August, temperatures are still climbing into the 80s and sweater weather is months away.

But pumpkin spice fans don’t have to wait for fall to enjoy their favorite autumn-tinged sweets and treats.

Dunkin’, 7-Eleven and Starbucks are among the coffee purveyors rolling out the pumpkin — and apple — creep extra early this year.

Dunkin’ will bring back pumpkin-flavored coffees, and introduce a new cinnamon-sugar-pumpkin signature latte and new apple cider donuts and munchkins, beginning on Aug. 21.

“It’s our earliest launch yet, about a week earlier than years past,” says Chelsea Halker, marketing manager for regional Dunkin’ franchisee Heartland Restaurant Group.

Customer demand drove the early rollout, she says.

“Pumpkin is obviously a favorite among our guests. … People start asking for pumpkin (menu items) at the end of July,” Halker says.

“We try to expand our pumpkin offerings each year, push it over the edge each year. … Espresso has been a big category for Dunkin this year, so it (the new latte) made sense for us,” she adds.

The apple cider donuts and donut holes are a new way to feature a fall flavor.

“Customers come to see what we’ll come up with each season,” Halker says.

And for some of us, it can’t happen too soon.

There lies method behind the madness, according to Dunkin’, which reports annual sales of pumpkin-flavored products rose 15.5% in 2018.

7-Eleven is also heading into the pumpkin patch early, with pumpkin-spice latte or pumpkin coffee available now for $1.

Free coffee toppings include leaf-shaped sprinkles (before the leaves even start falling) and pumpkin spice creamer.

“In previous years, pumpkin spice has been our most successful limited-time offering in the hot beverage category. Because it is our customers’ favorite drink, we didn’t want to make them wait any longer, leading us to release the beverages a month before the start of fall,” says Michelle Cram, 7-Eleven category manager, in an email.

“We also wanted to coordinate the release of the pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin spice coffee with our limited time $1 hot beverage offering through 7Rewards. This way, customers can visit 7-Eleven and get their pumpkin spice fix at the third of the cost of other coffeehouses,” Cram says.”

Excited peeps are spreading the news.

Others might prefer to segue right from lemonade and iced tea into cocoa or candy-cane coffee. There are those, apparently, with pumpkin spice intolerance.

Nevertheless, Starbucks is jumping on the all-things-pumpkin bandwagon as well, returning its popular pumpkin spice latte to the menu board one day earlier than last year.

You still have to wait until Aug. 27, though, area store employees say.

Tiring of the wait, some green thumbs are taking the matter into their own hands.

Despite the high temps, we know boots, sweaters, leaf peeping, Friday night lights and candy corn are looming.

Count us in.

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Categories: Food & Drink | Lifestyles
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