Autumn is finally upon us! The leaves are changing colors to match the sunset in red, orange, and yellow pigments, and pumpkins can be found at just about any local supermarket, or, pretty soon, front door step.

Also with the arrival of fall comes the pumpkin spice latte, a classic seasonal drink served at Starbucks until near November. This delectable drink was first introduced to customers back in 2003 -though less in demand at the time- and is described by www.starbucks.com as being “highlighted by flavor notes of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove to create this incredible beverage that’s a fall favorite.”

Here’s the thing, though: Pumpkin spice isn’t only served in one special latte, but rather, in food products everywhere. What are these various pumpkin spice products, though, and why has this flavoring created such a spark in the past couple of years? The answers to these questions, and more, are as follows…

To begin with, what are some pumpkin piquancy items besides the latte? The list includes, but is not limited to, pumpkin spice: Cheerios, Blue Diamond Almonds, JELL-O instant pudding and pie filling, Frosted Mini Wheats, Oreos, Extra Gum, Friendly Farms Milk, Villa Italian Kitchen pizza, (pumpkin spice pizza?!) Brach’s Candy Corn, Rossi Pasta, (yes, that’s pumpkin spice fettuccine!) Welch’s Sparkling Juice, M & M’s, etc. And the list goes on and on.

Why have all things pumpkin spice become so popular lately, though? What is it about this flavoring that some can’t seem to resist? According to a psychologist interviewed by Jacquellene Howard of www.cnn.com, (as summarized by Howard), “By combining the recognizable pumpkin spice flavor with sugar, you train your brain and body to remember how delicious the combination is — and as soon as you smell or even imagine pumpkin spice, your body will have an anticipatory response and crave it…” The psychologist claims that because of this reasoning, “the pumpkin spice latte is actually, scientifically, kind of addictive…”

Whether you like pumpkin spice or not, though, it’s clear that, at least in these most autumnal months of the year, the flavor is everywhere. In other words, it’s all pumpkin spice and everything (or almost everything?) nice.