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Scheherazade drank Pumpkin Spice by Adagio Teas

2238 tasting notes

322/365

I’m pretty sure I’ve tried this one before, but a long time ago, and possibly as part of Adagio’s holiday/Christmas sampler? It seems like an odd thing to find in a Christmas sampler, so I could be wrong, but I don’t think so. Now that it’s October, I basically want everything pumpkin, so this one jumped easily into my basket when I placed my last order. It would have been silly for two Sherlock blends to travel alone, after all!

This one contains cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom. It’s very sweet, even a little syrupy, which is nice for a couple of sips but quickly becomes cloying. I suspect it would be better as a latte, or even just with milk, but I didn’t have any to hand at work when I prepared it. The flavour actually reminds me quite strongly of cola, which initially struck me as slightly odd…but then I remembered that cola is basically a blend of spices, and probably quite a few of them are in this blend, so it’s maybe not so surprising. The ingredients list speaks of “natural pumpkin spice flavouring”, but I’m struggling to find much that reminds me of squash/pumpkin here. Artificially sweetened pie filling, perhaps…and cola.

As it cooled, it started to verge on bitter, so I finished my cup up fairly sharpish. It’s by no means a terrible blend, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I’ve definitely got some work to do with this one, although when was making a latte last considered work..?

My original rating for this one was 12, but I’ve increased that a bit because this cup wasn’t super awful…and I think if I added some milk or made it as a latte, it might actually be okay. So.

Preparation

Boiling 3 min, 0 sec 1 tsp

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Hi :) I’m Sarah, and I live in Norfolk in the UK. My tea obsession began when a friend introduced me to Teapigs a good few years ago now. Since then, I’ve been insatiable. Steepster introduced me to a world of tea I never knew existed, and my goal is now to TRY ALL THE TEAS. Or most of them, anyway.

I still have a deep rooted (and probably life-long) preference for black tea. My all-time favourite is Assam, but Ceylon and Darjeeling also occupy a place in my heart. Flavoured black tea can be a beautiful thing, and I like a good chai latte in the winter.

I also drink a lot of rooibos/honeybush tea, particularly on an evening. Sometimes they’re the best dessert replacements, too. White teas are a staple in summer — their lightness and delicate nature is something I can always appreciate on a hot day.

I’m still warming up to green teas and oolongs. I don’t think they’ll ever be my favourites, with a few rare exceptions, but I don’t hate them anymore. My experience of these teas is still very much a work-in-progress. I’m also beginning to explore pu’erh, both ripened and raw. That’s my latest challenge!

I’m still searching for the perfect fruit tea. One without hibiscus. That actually tastes of fruit.

You’ve probably had enough of me now, so I’m going to shut up. Needless to say, though, I really love tea. Long may the journey continue!

My rating system:

91-100: The Holy Grail. Flawless teas I will never forget.

81-90: Outstanding. Pretty much perfection, and happiness in a cup.

71-80: Amazing. A tea to savour, and one I’ll keep coming back to.

61-70: Very good. The majority of things are as they should be. A pleasing cup.

51-60: Good. Not outstanding, but has merit.

41-50: Average. It’s not horrible, but I’ve definitely had better. There’s probably still something about it I’m not keen on.

31-40: Almost enjoyable, but something about it is not for me.

11-30: Pretty bad. It probably makes me screw my face up when I take a sip, but it’s not completely undrinkable.

0-10: Ugh. No. Never again. To me, undrinkable.