"Obviously it's gone on (to) become a marker of fall," Dukes says. He believes the PSL helped to make that association between pumpkin spice and autumn for the masses. "If you go back to that ...

At Krispy Kreme, Tim Hortons and 7-Eleven, pumpkin ... fall flavors despite the season's darker mood," he said. "With each sip, we're not just tasting pumpkin spice. We're savoring the essence of ...