The History of Pumpkin Spice: From Colonial Pies to a Billion-Dollar Fall Obsession

Every October, America collectively loses its mind over five spices in a jar. The lattes, the candles, the cereal, the dog treats — somebody is selling pumpkin spice trash bags right now, and somebody else is buying them. None of this happened by accident. So I wrote a book about how it happened: The History of Pumpkin Spice, from colonial pies to a billion-dollar fall obsession. And because it’s October, the ebook is free.

What the book covers

Fifteen chapters, start to finish. Pumpkins in the New World before anyone thought to spice them. The spice roads that dragged cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves to the same pie. Amelia Simmons’ “pompkin” pudding in 1796 — America’s first cookbook, first pumpkin recipe, spelling not included. The British ancestor called mixed spice. 1934, the year the blend went commercial. Then the main event: inside the Starbucks lab where the Pumpkin Spice Latte was built, the chapter with the numbers (200 million cups and counting), the full pumpkin spice economy, and my personal favorite — the industrial complex of absurd products, where we find out just how far this can go.

It also gets into the why: the science of scent and memory (why this smell hijacks your brain every September), the limited-time-offer playbook that keeps you coming back, and the meme-and-backlash cycle. Then it finishes where it should: two chapters on making your own — the blend and the creamer — because the best revenge on a billion-dollar industry is a ninety-second recipe. Every chapter ends with action steps, same as all my books.

Who it’s for

History nerds, fall people, the “wait, but why is this a thing?” crowd, and anyone who has ever paid seven dollars for a latte and wanted answers. If you like knowing the story behind the stuff on the shelf, this is your book.

One tip from Chapter 13 (free)

The most famous fall flavor on earth is five jars you probably already own. The internet converged on one formula — 3-2-2-1-1: 3 tablespoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ginger, 2 teaspoons nutmeg, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon cloves. Whisk until the color is uniform, pour into a small airtight jar. That’s it. About a quarter cup, roughly ninety seconds, and you now own outright the thing corporations spend millions manufacturing. One warning from the book: clove will mug the entire blend if you let it. Respect the teaspoon.

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