Google · Apple · U.S. · Fortune Technology
The pumpkin spice era is changing—if not over, as McDonald’s replaces the flavor for the first time in a decade
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After dominating America’s seasonal drink lineup for years, pumpkin spice may be losing its grip on fall.
Key facts
- Data from Google Trends shows searches for “pumpkin spice latte” surging on cue, as the fall season approaches, but only dominating searches in three states as of late August, a sharp drop from 32
- And over 260% more people searched for “matcha latte” than “pumpkin spice latte,” according to Google Trends data reported by the New York Post
- Caribou Coffee this year expanded its Honeycrisp apple drink selection, a category which it introduced in 2021 to supplement its pumpkin-flavored drinks
- Pumpkin spice’s maturity as a flavor also comes as the youngest millennials, the generation most associated with the drink, reached 30 this year
Summary
McDonald’s, one of the largest restaurant chains in the world, said last week it would not include pumpkin-spice-flavored coffee in its offering of autumn-themed drinks this fall. “Caramel Apple Pie is the only fall coffee flavor McDonald’s is releasing this year,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s USA told Fortune in a statement. While McDonald’s has never been as closely associated with the drink flavor as other chains, particularly Starbucks and New England’s Dunkin’, the company’s decision not to offer it at all says something about where they stand in the fall flavor wars. Pumpkin spice’s maturity as a flavor also comes as the youngest millennials, the generation most associated with the drink, reached 30 this year.