For one corner of Alabama, the pumpkin spice flavor of fall just got a lot richer.

So far this year Wawa has opened three of its stores in Mobile and Baldwin counties, the first of many to come as the East Coast chain pursues plans for an aggressive expansion across the central Gulf Coast. The company, whose made-to-order hoagies and other treats have helped build a loyal fan base, tends not to do things halfway. And that’s certainly true of its pumpkin spice beverage menu, to judge from a recent sampling offered at its newly opened Mobile location.

It doesn’t much matter if you want just a plain cup of coffee, an iced latte, a shake or a smoothie. If you’re looking for a new twist on your favorite seasonal flavor fix, Wawa has got you covered.

(Note: They’ve also got you covered if you can’t stand pumpkin spice or the whole mania around it: The self-serve coffee offerings, for example, always include a healthy array of standard option alongside whatever Limited Time Offer (LTO) flavor is current. You can always grab a cup of dark roast, medium roast, decaf or French vanilla. And remember, whenever a new Wawa opens, that self-serve coffee is free for the first 10 days.)

The day before Mobile’s first store opened, Lori Bruce, senior manager of media relations for Wawa, offered AL.com a special look at what probably is Wawa’s biggest LTO of the year. Pumpkin spice is special, Bruce said. Usually Wawa will have one LTO flavor in its self-serve carafes and another on the cold side of the coffee menu. But pumpkin covers the spectrum.

There is, of course, a straightforward pumpkin-spice coffee. The flavor is ample even if you take a cup black. Add a little creamer and it accentuates the nutmeg flavor, making it more indulgent, more of a pumpkin-pie taste. But that’s only the start.

The pumpkin spice lattes give you a chance to put Wawa’s fancy touchscreen ordering system to use. As with the sandwiches, the system streamlines a complex array of options into a brisk series of decisions: iced or hot, what size, what type of milk (including almond or oat), yes or no on whipped cream? For the iced pumpkin brulee there’s even more: You pick from five sweetener options; yes or no on cold foam; a flavor boost from extra vanilla, salted caramel, mint, chocolate or pumpkin; and a “boost” of caffeine, vitamins or electrolytes.

Did we say pumpkin brulee? Yes. Yes, we did. Because just serving hot and cold pumpkin spice lattes, topped with whipped cream and a mouth-watering drizzle of pumpkin-spice caramel syrup, wasn’t nearly enough.

For 2024 Wawa’s pumpkin offerings include a new twist. Order the pumpkin brulee iced coffee or the pumpkin brulee frozen cappuccino and you’ll get a beverage with a slightly different spin on pumpkin-spice flavor, and a topping of crispy-crunchy caramel flakes that evoke the glaze on a crème brulee. It’s a winning touch that scores points for look, taste and texture. Sadly, you can’t just buy this topping by the pound. (We asked.)

Want a cup of matcha? There’ a pumpkin-spice version of that. Prefer cold-brew? No problem, you can get that in pumpkin brulee, pumpkin spice and pumpkin spice sweet cream. A word of advice: spring for the cold foam. It’s thick, rich, and tantalizingly different from standard whipped cream topping.

Sounds good, but you wanted something even richer? Fine. In addition to the pumpkin brulee frozen cappuccino there’s a pumpkin cheesecake milkshake that features grains of graham-cracker crust mixed in, to maximize the cheesecake taste and texture. And then there’s a pumpkin-spice version of Wawa’s signature cookies ‘n’ cream smoothie, if you really want to let yourself go.

Honestly, the line between a smoothie and a milkshake seems to be a pretty fine one, where these seasonal treats are concerned. Either way, you’re getting something really rich with all the seasonal flavor you could want.

If you want to try it all, you’d better get moving. Before long Wawa will be adding new apple-flavored treats to the mix: Caramel-apple iced coffee with cold foam, caramel apple pie milkshakes, apple pie lattes and more. We got an early taste of the apple pie cream smoothie, and it was devastatingly good – and a nice change-up for taste buds dazzled by pumpkin spice overload.

Soon enough (or maybe not soon enough, for the pumpkin-phobic), it’ll all be gone. The holiday season brings holiday flavors, so brace yourself for sugar cookie, peppermint bark and peppermint cookies and cream, all coming to a Wawa touchscreen near you.