Pumpkin spice coffee turns thirty four this year, and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois reveals it was never supposed to exist in the first place. It started as a marketing mistake at Starbucks, and sales have dropped five to ten percent since peaking in 2023.

One major fast food chain has just stepped back from pumpkin spice on its fall menu after ten years of serving it. Sylvain breaks down what that decision signals for the entire coffee industry and the flavour combinations companies are testing to fill the gap.

Meanwhile, a different drink category is climbing fast, and it is not what you would expect to be gaining ground. Sylvain shares the sales numbers behind it and the surprising product it now ranks just behind.

Topics: pumpkin spice, McDonald's, non-alcoholic beer, food trends, fall flavours

GUEST: Sylvain Charlebois | @‌foodprofessor

Originally aired on 2026-09-17