Is it really pumpkin you like? Or just the branding?

Despite an onslaught of hundreds of pumpkin flavored treats this fall, including donuts, M&M’s and muffins (oh my!), there may be proof that customers don’t actually like the pumpkin flavor. Say what? I know what you’re thinking – this cannot be true. My thoughts exactly.

But what if I told you that this so-called “pumpkin spice” was mostly just some sort of mixture of spice, cinnamon and sweetener, according to the Boston Business Journal. Whomp whomp. Sorry “pumpkin spice” lovers, but you are actually just a consumer of some random hodge-podge of spices that aren’t even derived from pumpkins. And you’re also a part of the much bigger “pumpkin spice marketing bonanza.”

The fact that even the BBJ thought it necessary to address this point, tells me that the pumpkin madness may finally have reached its pumpkin breaking point.

The honest truth is, very few of these pumpkin-spice products actually “contain any real pumpkin.” And “are really pretty similar to chai in their flavor profile, but without the cardamom or vanilla.” A senior chemist at International Flavors and Fragrances in New York tells the BBJ that the pumpkin spice flavor is actually just “a ratio of the same sweet and spices.”

But what about real pumpkin flavor? The chemist explains that “Pureed pumpkin flavor has a lot of similarity to squash … It’s not just sweet. It has that kind of squashy, yammy kind of taste to it …. It doesn’t smell very good, to be honest with you.” But she also admits that while “flavor chemists don’t have data showing people don’t like pumpkin … most food makers reject anything that tastes too vegetal.”

Take the products that do actually contain pumpkin in them such as a pumpkin beer or pumpkin whiskey – what still makes them enjoyable to consumer taste buds? Well, perhaps it’s the fact that the pumpkin whiskey starts out as beer and then is cloaked in spices like clove, allspice, vanilla, cinnamon and sweet orange?

As for the pumpkin beer, the brew uses roasted pumpkins (roasting extracts pumpkin sweetness) but generally, tries not to overload the brew with that pumpkin vegetal taste. From what I’ve read it seems many brewers combine similar spices – cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice, among others – to cover up the bitter flavor.

Despite all this, I still love my pumpkin spice, and confess to being a “victim” of the pumpkin spice marketing strategy. Oh well. First world problems for sure, but just food for thought as you head out to purchase your “pumpkin spice” afternoon pick-me-up.