When I was out today, it finally felt like fall! It was warm and lightly windy, you could see the colours of the tree leaves turning different shades of orange, and there were lots of crunchy leaves all along the sidewalk. So, it seems like a perfect night to enjoy a cup of this tea!
The dry leaf for this one smells so flavourful. When I opened it up tonight, Tre even remarked “I thought you didn’t buy any Pumpkin Pie?”. It’s also my mom’s favourite tea out of all the teas I have that she’s tried (which is basically all the teas I have from DAVIDsTEA). Whenever she’s over I ask what kind of tea she wants and she responds “surprise me!”, but less than a minute later she ALWAYS pipes up “Maybe that Pumpkin Chai one!”. At this point, I only make the offer out of courtesy: I’ve already started making her a cup of this one.
When I smell the dry leaf, the most prominent flavour notes for me are the pumpkin, of course, but also the cinnamon and cloves. The caramel comes through too, but to me it smells like “molasses candy” or “tar candy”. Maybe that’s why my mom likes this tea so much, tar candy was her favourite Halloween candy growing up. I also really love tar candies; every year on the day after Halloween I’d take my pillowcase full of candy to school so I could trade candy with friends. None of my friends liked tar candy so I always got theirs (usually without having to trade). So, while this tea is definitely a fall tea, it’s especially a “Halloween” tea for me!
The smell as it’s steeping is definitely spiced pumpkin: the cloves and cinnamon are really coming out to play! Really though, I can smell all of the ingredients including the black tea base with lemon peel being the exception. I think the lemon peel is just getting lost among all the other strong scents or is blending really well with the smell of the pumpkin.
I really enjoy this tea without anything added, but it also makes a great latte. I’ll admit, I’m not fond of it iced or cold brewed. Tonight, I added just a touch of honey and a small splash of milk. I personally feel like those additives really bring out the taste of the pumpkin, squash, and carrot while accentuating the natural creaminess of the tea. The pumpkin, carrot, and squash are the upfront taste at the beginning of the sip, and then you’re hit with the warm and welcoming cinnamon and clove flavour. Finally, the caramel/tar candy like taste is most prominent in the aftertaste.
This is really a great chai, and the best pumpkin flavoured tea I’ve ever had (although I have high hopes for Butiki’s Pumpkin Milkshake). It’s the kind of tea you WANT to gulp down, but really SHOULD savor each sip of. Mmm… Fall has arrived!
