There is literally no “wrong” time of year for pumpkin spice. I will never let such trivialities come in the way of a delicious taste or a review thereof.
Feel free to pat me on the back for journalistic integrity. I boogey to the beat of my own drummer.
Go ahead. Incorporate this into your own life. Drink tea “out of season.” Wear white after labor day. Wear black in the summer. Have visible panty lines. Go to a water park in the winter. Celebrate Halloween with a Gothy holiday tree. Adopt a squirrel and wear it as a hat.
Just kidding. I was checking to see if you were paying attention.
This tea totally nails the buttery, creamy, slightly-spicy nature of pumpkin pie. There’s even a caramel note that I am going to declare as “crust.”
The sweet night be a little bit too strong for it to taste exactly like pumpkin pie, but the tea does still retain that spirit.The tea’s flavor has the warmth of a chai with additional sweet milky smoothness, even consumed black. (I drink almost all teas black.) There’s that playful spicy moxie here that I typically associate with chai.
This tea isn’t available at the moment because, well… it’s out of season. That’s really the only downside of reviewing things “whenever” — things disappear! But that’s all right: keep an eye on Bluebird. Those spunky kids are always releasing new goodies, and one like this might be in their fall lineup!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Bluebird Tea Co.
Description
This tea is not available right now but click below to see the new teas they have to offer.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Caramel Creme from Spice and Tea Exchange. . . . . .
I was delighted to find this tea in my best friend’s kitchen today. It was her child’s third birthday, and I was celebrating by raiding her tea without permission.
This tea — Pumpkin Caramel Crème by Spice & Tea Exchange — is not currently available, but there are several dessert teas you may like on their site
Before we get started on this review, please do not tell me it’s “too late in the season” for a pumpkin spice latté or tea. I will drink one in the dead of summer if I want. We live in a global economy where all fruits, vegetables, and teas are available to us all year round, gosh darn it.
But if you ARE the kind of person who believes in seasonality, you will be pleased to hear that this tea doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all. I got caramel. I got crème. I did not receive pumpkin from this taste. It’s possible that I happened to get a scoop that was lacking in a pumpkin ingredient.
What this tasted like, most of all, was one of those maple syrup cupcakes with caramel icing that my husband’s cousin makes. It’s approximately something like this. It was extremely sweet, but a brown-sugar sweet instead of a white-sugar sweet. A more substantive, deep sweet.
“This,” I said to my best friend appreciatively, “is really good.”
“It is!” she said. “My mother-in-law got it for me!”
I have decided to blog about it and say something kind about them both as a thank you. So here goes:
My best friend is very kind and stylish; her other-in-law is the very nicest around; her husband is a genius; her kids are adorable; her house is charming; and her dogs are cuddly. She does not complain when I let myself into her home without knocking — or start up a kettle to try her teas without asking. She is the Patron Saint of Tolerance (and Good Hair).
And the tea is yummy.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: The Spice & Tea Exchange
Description
This tea is no longer on the site but click below for teas that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Chipotle Cream Honeybush Tea from A Quarter To Tea. . . .
Talk about being SURPRISED and HAPPY! From what I can see THIS Pumpkin Chipotle Cream Honeybush Tea from A Quarter To Tea appears to be VEGAN! Woot! I have been eyeballing some of their teas but they seem to contain dairy (butter) in most of them. This one doesn’t! YAY!
According to their website this contains: honeybush tea, cocoa nibs, apple pieces, rose hips, red peppercorn, pumpkin mini sprinkles (icing sugar (vegan), modified corn starch, corn starch, fractionated palm kernel oil, cellulose gum, soya lecithin, vanillin, polysorbate 60), cinnamon bark, orange peel, cloves, safflower, natural flavors.
I will say that the TASTE is comparable to a flavored Chai. So if you like Chai – Pumpkin Chipotle Cream Honeybush Tea from A Quarter To Tea – will probably be right up your alley!
The spices are nicely done. They are of medium strength but linger for quite a while. The cocoa nibs are subtle but important to the overall flavor. The vegan candies make this a bit on the sweet side. The vanilla flavors – of course give it a curved creamy edge.
It’s hard to believe this is ‘just a honeybush’. There flavors are so lovely you almost forget about what is being used for the base. This was a neat surprise and nicely done flavored tisane!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Honebush
Where to Buy: A Quarter To Tea
Description
Smoky and spicy with just a touch of lapsang, but ultimately sweet and pumpkin-y with plenty of custard notes. Definitely brings flavor to the tea party.
If you liked Smoky Sweet Potato Pie last year, you’ll definitely like this as well.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Chai from David’s Tea
When seasons collide! Today I brewed up DAVIDsTEA’s Pumpkin Chai as an eggnog latte, combining a Fall favorite with a beloved holiday classic. The end result? Perfection!
Pumpkin Chai is one of the blends that people wait for each fall as it brings together both the Fall flavors of Pumpkin Spice and Chai. Add to that some caramel and you have a winner that people will buy year after year.
Brewed up as an eggnog latte, the sweet gooey caramel really shines. Underlying that is the creaminess of the eggnog that plays off the spices in the tea making for a decadent sugar and spice treat. Imagine a spiced bread pudding with a creamy vanilla-caramel icing. Awesome!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: David’s Tea
Description
Let’s face it, the best thing about fall is pumpkin pie. And this spiced black tea is arguably just as delicious. It’s got all the warmth of cinnamon and cloves, plus the sweetness of caramel and pumpkin candy. For a true autumn treat, top it up with steamed milk and stir in a spoonful of brown sugar. It’ll make you wish it were fall all year round.
ingredients
Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, caramel (milk, sugar, glucose s yrup, butter, sorbitol, mono and diglycerides), carrot, lemon peel, pumpkin candies (sugar, rice flour, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, corn starch, gum arabic, cellulose gum, yellow 6, confectioner
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Genmaicha from 52Teas
I’ve been on a Smallville Kick lately…binge watching the series on Netflix. I wouldn’t call myself a SUPER FAN of SUPER MAN but after watching this series it occurred to me just how much I remember of the Superman Storyline and Comics from childhood thru adulthood. The classic line “It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s SUPERMAN!!!” comes to mind with this tea and here’s why…
It’s a Green Tea…It’s a Genmaicha…it’s Pumpkin Flavored…it’s a Spiced Latte…it’s all of the above, really! Pumpkin Spice Latte Genmaicha from 52 Teas is another iconically flavored Genmaicha offering from 52 Teas!
Upon opening the packet I could easily identify the pumpkin, the pumpkin spice, the pumpkin spice latte, the genmaicha, the mallow root, the spices individually and as a group, the creamy vanilla, and the toasty and roasty popped rice! There is so much going on here but it all ties together and makes COMPLETE sense and makes for an incredible cuppa!
I’m not sure why most of us only enjoy spiced pumpkin flavored things as a seasonal treat. Of course I know that is all based on it being harvest time and have pumpkin available but I think the flavors are tasty all year round.
Regardless when ever I am able to get my hands on this flavored green tea I gladly will! It’s a real beauty!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Green Tea
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Description
This time of year, it seems impossible to avoid the Pumpkin Spice trappings – there are pumpkin spice goodies every where you turn! Well, rather than fight ’em, I decided to join ’em and create a Pumpkin Spice treat of my own! And why not? I love the flavor! The pumpkin is sweet yet savory and the spices add a lovely, deep warmth to the pumpkin notes.
I started with organic Matcha infused Genmaicha and added chunks of real, dehydrated pumpkin, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean and marshmallow root to create a tea that’ll make you happy this time of year has finally arrived! This tea is terrific served straight up, but a drizzle of honey in this is oh-so-nice!
ingredients: green teas*, popped brown rice*, dried pumpkin chunks, marshmallow root*, crushed and whole allspice*, cinnamon*, nutmeg*, vanilla bean* and natural flavors*
*denotes organic