Pumpkin Gingerbread Black Tea/52Teas

Continuing on the theme of Spooky Season. . . Pumpkin Gingerbread seemed to be a good fit.  Of course pumpkins are a huge part of spooky season but there is also a horror franchise about a Gingerbread that comes to life so when I saw this tea in my stash, it was just meant to be.

If you aren’t familiar with 52Teas, I highly recommend you check them out.  Readers of this blog know that the current owner of 52Teas is one of the co-founders of the SororiTea Sisters and to be honest- a personal friend of mine.  But, even if that wasn’t the case, I would still highly recommend 52Teas.

52Teas blends up new teas each and every week- providing an amazing array of new high quality tea blends to check out.  The only issue is that if you fall in love with one of these blends, you need to get yourself to the site and quickly pick up a few more because once these teas sell out, they typically are not reblended.

Pumpkin Gingerbread Black Tea is a black and honeybush tea blend with pumpkin, ginger root, cinnamon and a variety of other spices and natural flavors.  The aroma of the blend reminds me very much of a chai tea.  Since the weather is becoming very fall like, I thought this tea would be best enjoyed hot so I brewed up water at 212F, allowed the tea to brew for right around 3 minutes and allowed the cuppa to cool for about 5 minutes.

First sip in and you are greeted with all of the fall flavors- pumpkin, ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, clove. . .simply delicious.  The ginger is the flavor I am picking up the most but the flavoring doesn’t come off as overpowering.  I’m not the biggest fan of ginger but I easily drank down a few cuppas of this blend and finished off the package with ease.   I do wish that the pumpkin shone through a bit more but I did love the gingerbread with a dash of pumpkin vibes I was getting and the black tea finish to end each sip was lovely.   This is one of those teas that would be amazing as a latte enjoyed during my morning commutes.

This tea was the perfect companion to my spooky viewing of As Above So Below- one of my favorite spooky movies to enjoy to get the Spooky Season officially underway.


Want to Know More About This Tea?

Leaf Type:  Black

Where to Buy: 52Teas

Description

Our handcrafted teas are vegan, Gluten-free & Allergen-friendly because you deserve tea you can sip with confidence.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Sweet Tea O’Mine from the Goat Tea . . . .

It is always a thrill to find a new favorite fall tea.  With so many sweet caramel pumpkin teas or apple-pie-spiced blends, Sweet Tea O’Mine from The Goat Tea was a wonderful new take on the pumpkin spice tea.

This is a honeybush and rooibos based tea, which makes it naturally caffeine free and perfect for late night brewing.  Along with the herbal leaves, there is puffed rice like a traditionally green genmaicha tea. I have a soft spot for the starchy, almost savory genmaicha teas with puffed rice, so I was thrilled to find a new tea with this ingredient.  The honeybush and puffed rice compliment each other’s nuttiness, making for a rich and warming flavor combination.

Meanwhile the familiar autumn spices are still there, nutmeg and mace to name the key players.  This makes the tea have plenty of that pumpkin spice taste, but with a pleasant woodsy undertone from the herbal leaves.  I also appreciate that the blend isn’t too sweet or artificial. There is a medium sweetness with lingering flavors like brown sugar or molasses.

With its roasted wheat and toasted rice flavors this tea captures all the best parts of corn mazes and hay bales and gets me suitable excited for the upcoming 2019 fall season.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: herbal
Where to Buy: The Goat Tea
Description:

Who says Pumpkin can only be for one season? Enjoy a cup of this sweet tea, swirling with the taste of pumpkin, caramel, and cinnamon. It is like fall in your mouth.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Pumpkin Chai Latte from the Spice and Tea Exchange

I love all the pumpkin spiced things that come with it. When I saw the first few samples of Pumpkin Chai Latte hit the shelves at the Spice and Tea Exchange, I had to give it a try.

This is a great pumpkin tea to keep in your fall roundup.  Where most pumpkin spice teas have lots of caramel, this tea features cacao shells and maple crystals.  Pumpkin Chai Latte is still plenty sweet and perfectly spiced with warm cinnamon, but the more robust and earthy flavors of raw chocolate and molasses give richness and body to the brew.

There is also a surprising amount of a bright produce-like flavor, which I can only assume comes from the many chunks of dried pumpkin in the dry leaf.  I almost thought there was something like orange peel in the blend, the tart pop of freshness was so noticeable, but there are no orange peels listed in the blend.  Perhaps an ingredient like the dandelion root is adding a nice vegetal tartness against the sweet flavors.

In case all of these tasty autumn flavors weren’t enough, there is added whipped cream flavoring included as well to add to the decadent dessert feeling one wants with a good pumpkin spice tea.

If you love pumpkin spice and feel like you’ve tried everything, don’t miss the chance to try a creamy and chocolatey take on the classic fall tradition.  From one pumpkin-spice-head to another, I know you’ll love Pumpkin Chai Latte from the Spice and Tea Exchange in your mug.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Black Chai
Where to Buy: Spice and Tea Exchange
Description:

Whispers of spice merge with the flavors of a mid-autumn harvest. A steaming glass of this chai tea is the perfect companion for crisp mornings and cool nights.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle from A Quarter To Tea. . . .

It’s that time of the year when it is still very much Fall so pumpkin is every which way you turn. You can’t go two minutes without seeing pumpkin this and pumpkin spice that. However, we are near enough to Christmas that those holiday flavors are popping up too. Just two days ago I enjoyed a Gingerbread Lindt Truffle while trying my first ever Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. It is a flavor experience that I am delighted to try again.

As per usual, A Quarter to Tea has just that combination with one of their teas, Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle, a flavored black tea with notes of pumpkin, gingerbread, and custard. I steeped this up for 3 minutes in 200 degree water as per the recommended parameters.

The smell as I take my first sip is 98% gingerbread and 2% pumpkin sweetness. It’s got a great spice to it and I am disappointed that flavorwise, it is not as strong. There is still a gingerbread flavor but it is not as sharp as in the scent due to the stronger pumpkin flavor. Tastewise it is like a sweet pumpkin (not to be confused with pumpkin spice) drink with a ginger kick lingering in the background. The aftertaste has the baked good flavor of a gingerbread cookie. Custard seems to be lacking but between the other components there is enough going on that it isn’t missed.

Personally I wish there was more gingerbread and less pumpkin but I can’t fault it for delivering what’s promised due to my personal preferences. It is a nice tea even if it is a little unsure whether it wants to be sweet or spicy. Fall and the holidays are one in this tasty cuppa.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type:  Black Tea
Where to Buy:  A Quarter To Tea
Description

This tea is no longer available but click below for teas that are.

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Genmaicha from 52Teas

Genmaicha was a type of tea that I came to later in my tea-drinking life.  I didn’t yet understand the toasty magic of having puffed rice brewed alongside a nutty green tea.  Since then I’ve been on the genmaicha train and I don’t plan to leave. 52Teas has a great variety of genmaicha teas, like banana marshmallow or rice pudding.  This time I’m trying Pumpkin Spice Latte Genmaicha from 52Teas.

In addition to the expected green tea and puffed rice, this blend contains pumpkin pieces, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  The peppery allspice and herbal nutmeg make this tea smell specifically like autumn and not just your everyday chai spices.

Brewed, this blend is exceptionally well-balanced.  There are the sweet flavors of a pumpkin spice latte, and a little warmth and depth from the spices, but they don’t drown out the toasty comfort of the original genmaicha.

As much as I love pumpkin spice everything, this might be one of my favorite takes on the flavor.  The brew is creamy without being cloying, spicy without feeling generic, and the genmaicha base makes me feel so cozy and easygoing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be ordering those PSL coffee lattes when they come back on the menu, but I’ll also be rooting for 52Teas to reblend this genmaicha beauty just in time for pumpkin season.


Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Green
Where to Buy: 52Teas

Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!