Americans spend more than $500 million each year on pumpkin spice items, according to data from Neilson reported by CNN. “There is something about the cinnamon and sugar smell that brings us back to this cozy fall feeling,” Northwestern marketing professor Jacqueline Babb explained to the publication. “By eliciting those feelings of cozy and family, you’re elevating your brand from a hot beverage or trash bag to something that means something to people.” And that certainly is the case with Starbucks’ fall menu and its wildly popular (and wildly imitated) pumpkin spice latte, which first came about in 2003.

In fact, Starbucks sells about 20 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes a year, making it the most popular seasonal drink and blowing peppermint-mocha and other Christmas-themed beverages out of

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