Pumpkin Chai

This tea smells exactly like my grandmother’s pumpkin pie — probably because I snuck a dollop of whipped cream in the mug. Even though I don’t add milk or sugar to my tea often, I think that this particular blend needs some additions. When this tea is steeping, it has a scent that is almost identical to a pumpkin candle.

Sipping… I’m happy that the spices are not too strong. They’re still present & add a warming character to the cup. This blend is creamy, thanks to the whipped cream. All of the flavors seem a little watered down — which is exactly what I detected when I had a few cups without any additions. It’s all a little bit thin even with whipped cream.

There is also an odd aftertaste that lingers in my mouth. It’s not enough to make me stop drinking this tea, but it reminds me of plastic. I don’t taste anything that is specifically pumpkin, but I think I’ll be able to draw out more of that flavor with some experimentation. I should also mention that there is a perfume-like note as well. The aftertaste and this flavor make me think I’m drinking a cup of melted pumpkin candle.

I think that this cup has so much potential to be something so tasty.. I just need to figure out how to make this tea wonderful.

Having some now, with some eggs and toast, on this rainy fall day in Victoria. It is so so so comforting. I admit that this is my 2nd cuppa today, so this infusion is not very strong..I probably should have added the last bit I had to the Steeper, but I will do that on the next round.

Even though this steep is weak, I do have to say that I still pick up the spices…it just doesn’t have that pumpkiny note that I get normally. This is still one of my fall faves though.

Have you seen Heaven? I think i just did!!!
This tea is the most amazing Tea,I work at an eye drs office and I cant get to my tea very often so when I do The bags have usually sat for like 4hours in the water and its cold, Let me say though that this was the best cup of Pumpkin tea ever!!! THIS IS BETTER THEN STARBUCKS PUMPKIN LATE!!! the pumpkin by the time i got to it was sooo Bright i could have danced! I am not saying to Brew this for 4 hours before enjoying but this is one of thoughts teas that only gets better with more brew time!

1.5 tablespoons for 375 ml

Creamy, slightly sweet, spice flavours well-balanced.

In my bag from last fall I didn’t quite have enough left for an entire mug of this so I cut it with some Caramel Spice from last fall’s collection. The resulting franken-tea was Caramel Pumpkin Chai. Oh heck yes.
It was mostly the Pumpkin Chai that I know and love, with a tiny bit of that caramelly, orangey, spicy warmth from Caramel Spice. It was seriously fantastic.
I seem to have timed it right to use up my Pumpkin Chai bag, because I see it’s now re-released! I’ll have to place an order for that and a bag of Toasted Marshmallow.

First real day of fall = Pumpkin Chai time. It’s cold outside today and I’m wearing a big sweater… omg this is what I’ve been waiting for all summer. Fall is my favourite season and I am so super happy right now.

still going on this amazing sample from Vanilla Beans

I made a latte with this yesterday and I’ve been testing out different temps and amounts of original almond milk. So I used a little more than one third almond milk, heated in a glass container in the microwave for 1 minute and frothed with a hand frother. Put that in the mug, then put in the teabag that I made (1.5 tsp of loose tea), then poured hot water over it, and added a few rocks of rock sugar. I realize that with a latte you pour the water and milk together or you pour the milk second so I will have to try that.

Overall, I think it came out really well. I know a lot of people shy away from anything other than whole milk in lattes because other types of milk are too thin. A local tea shop owner here told me that soy creamer works really well. I find that the almond milk has a creamy thickness to it that lighter cow milk and soy milk don’t have. There’s also a nice sweetness to the almond milk I use, so it was a really nice treat!

and in just reading the other reviews, I think that adding BROWN SUGAR needs to happen in my very near future…ummm that’s basically a pumpkin chai pie latte.

My first ever tea in my new Timolino! (A big thank you to my partner for this very thoughtful gift… my other one is a) plastic and b) has been dropped a few to many times :( )

So it’s my first day back at work after the Christmas/New Year’s holiday season and I am seriously wishing I was able to take the 2nd and the 3rd off too… My brain keeps saying things like “I’m sorry you want me to do what???” (That said I’d rather a short “back to work” week than a long one so there’s always a silver lining… somewhere :D )

To go along with this mental state I seriously couldn’t figure out what tea I wanted… I knew I wanted tea but everything I smelled just wasn’t “it.” In the end it came down to Santa’s Secret, Sweet Ginger Heat, Stash’s Green Chai and this one which seemed to be a combo of the two moods I was in, sweet and spiced. In the end though I’m still really disappointed that DT made such a significant (to me anyways) change to this blend, it’s just very weak in the spice area compared to prior blendings.

Don’t get me wrong it’s still a nice tea but it just doesn’t wow me like it did… Oh well there’s other Pumpkin spiced teas out there, now I just have an excuse to try them all! :D

So, remember when all the fall teas went away and this one didn’t? I actually don’t know what the plan is. Like, is it in store for good? Are you going to take it away from me soon? ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME ENOUGH WARNING TO BUY FIVE KILOGRAMS OF THIS?
these are the things that keep me up at night

I know that many people are in love with this tea, and while I thoroughly enjoy it, it is not my favourite tea from David’s. I tried steeping it longer today (I think around 9 minutes), which helped “fill out” the tea, but I still find the flavour a little separate from the tea (if that makes sense at all).