Well, we’re a month in. School is well under way, fall is officially here, the leaves are beginning to turn and the stores have completed their first round of inundating us with everything pumpkin spice. It happens around Labor Day every year. With the advent of Starbucks’s Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003 and its subsequent success, other food promoters have tried to capture their own piece of the marketplace.
But has it become just too much? I can understand pumpkin spice Swirl Bread, bagels, or cookies. After all, that’s sort of like pumpkin bread, a fall classic. Pumpkin Spice creamer? You’re just trying to make a PSL knockoff for less money. But some products are just a stretch?
I did a quick image search on the web and discovered some pumpkin spice products that I had not seen for sale in my local grocery stores. I can’t say I mind that – I probably will never try pumpkin spice Crest, Listerine, chewing gum, Pepto-Bismol, or feminine pads or tampons (really). But a few items piqued my interest, and rather than summarily dismissing them out of hand, I decided to try them. After all, mother always said, “How do you know you don’t like it if you don’t try it?”
So for your entertainment and to save you the effort and expense of trying these products yourself, here is my review and opinion on whether these seven pumpkin spice products should make a return appearance next fall.
Pumpkin Spice Tortilla Chips
These made me a bit nervous, having tried Pringles’ version of this “spicy” chip last season. But this chip was surprisingly different. Rather than merely a corn chip coated with a pumpkin spice powdered seasoning, the pumpkin flavor was integrated into the chip. Toasted pumpkin seeds were also mixed in. These started out a bit strong on the flavoring, but then finished a bit mellow with more of a tortilla chip flavor. These were not a huge hit with my fellow family taste testers, but not a complete washout. I think they would be really nice served with a kiwi-strawberry-apple salsa.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
My first thought was, “This is just wrong.” But I realized that pumpkin is really just a relative of the squash family, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I got gutsy one night for dinner and served angel hair pasta tossed with the pumpkin sauce. I had added a few tablespoons of half-n-half and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Again, not a huge hit, but it was eaten. I personally liked it and could probably tweak the dish and add some ingredients to create a bit more pizzazz. I’ll look for it again next year.
Pumpkin Spice Cashews (Walnuts & Almonds too)
People have been adding flavorings to nuts for a long time, so this one wasn’t really a stretch, but I had to try them anyway. I’m a purest and would prefer a handful of salted, roasted cashews to this version. They were coated in the spice seasoning and they overwhelmed the nuts themselves. Not a bad flavor, but I didn’t feel like I was eating cashews. My husband apparently disagreed. The company makes them in walnut and almond varieties as well.
Jello Instant Pudding and Pie Filling 
A short-cut to pudding pumpkin pie? I think that’s the idea. But it doesn’t have the depth of pumpkin flavor necessary to make it a great substitute. Obviously, the vanilla pudding with real pumpkin pulp recipe has a more authentic taste. Interesting to try, but I won’t buy this flavor again.
Hershey Kisses/Toll House Chips
You should never mess with chocolate. Or anything closely representing chocolate. Granted, these chocolate companies have successfully created crème de menthe, cherry, caramel and a ton of other flavors. In fact, I didn’t know (once again) that Hershey’s had manufactured so many varieties. Just for fun, check out this link to see a varietal collection of 57 kisses collected by one person.
Trying these pumpkin spice candy variations was not so fun. Basically, this is white chocolate coated in orange something. The flavor was way too artificial. “That might just be the worst piece of candy I’ve ever tasted!” exclaimed one guinea pig. Not popular.
The Tollhouse chips were no better. We opened the bag. Someone said, “It smells like the flower section of a Michael’s Craft store.” You know – that overwhelming spice scent emanating from the cinnamon brooms in the lobby that choke you on the way in. We ventured a small taste, and then, “and it tastes like candy corn on pumpkin steroids.” And if that’s what I wanted, I’d just buy:
Pumpkin Sparkling Spiced Cider
I have been a huge cider fan most of my life. Lately, I’ve become a big hard cider fan. This cider was – shall I say “complex.” The apple and pumpkin 
spice flavors were present and the cider had a very nice sparkling effervescence. It left a weird tingly feeling on my tongue, but overall – interesting. I’d probably still opt for the hard cider or a pumpkin ale, although it may be fun to try warmed.
And for a final seasonal product – a local barbershop decided to get in on the craze to bring in customers. Check out the sidewalk sign:
