By Mia Fatuzzo, ’15, News Section Editor
The fall of 2013 marks the tenth anniversary of the introduction of Starbuck’s wildly popular Pumpkin Spice Latte. The coffee giant estimates having sold, thus far, 200 million “PSLs”, which are currently priced at $4 per 12-ounce cup. It’s no wonder that other brands have been clamoring to produce pumpkin-flavored versions of their own products. From Jell-O Instant Pumpkin Pudding to Pumpkin Pie Pop-Tarts to Jet-Puffed Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows, pumpkin has officially invaded our palate.
Mars, Incorporated’s M&M is the latest food to join the pumpkin craze. The candies, well known for their classic Milk Chocolate M&Ms, as well as varieties such as Peanut Butter and Pretzel, have released Pumpkin Spice M&Ms just in time for Halloween. The new product, available exclusively at Target for $2.99 per package, is part of a larger effort by M&Ms, as well as other brands, to innovate with flavor and, in doing so, garner new customers. Nabisco’s Oreo, for example, regularly releases bizarre limited edition flavors such as their Banana Split Oreo cookie which were released for the fall of 2013.
The Pumpkin Spice M&Ms come in three fall-themed colors: green, orange, and brown. They appear to be slightly larger than your average M&M, although I only estimated. Upon first bite, the candy tasted primarily of chocolate and cinnamon, with several other “pumpkin pie-y” spices mixed in. As far as composition, M&M’s seems to have left the chocolate center of their candy mostly alone, and simply surrounded it with a pumpkin spice flavored shell. The candy tastes more of the spices that would compose a pumpkin pie than a pumpkin itself, but the overall effect is still reasonable. They don’t draw autumn to mind quite like a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks can, but more like the potpourri in your great-grandmother’s living room does. It’s charming for a little bit, and then you want the latte.
Traditional pumpkin pies are a finely tuned mix of pumpkin (from a can if I’m cooking), cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, and sugar. These M&Ms, aside from the usual sugar, chocolate, skim milk, and cocoa butter, contain no typical pumpkin pie ingredients. They do contain “artificial and natural flavors.” Perhaps that’s where the cinnamon’s hiding.
Although Pumpkin Spice M&Ms have a few shortcomings, both in flavor and in composition, they are undoubtedly a fun testament to both fall and our willingness as consumers to buy and eat just about anything. I would fully recommend them, if not as an actual dessert, then as an interesting treat to try or an amusing way to confuse either innocent trick-or-treaters or unsuspecting Halloween partygoers.
Photo credit to www.target.com
