As a tea addict I am constantly on the hunt for tea. I mean literally every store, event or venue I go to I check to see if tea is present anywhere. I suppose some folks shop for clothes, others for gadgets and gizmos but I shop for tea. So when I was at the Freight House Farmer’s Market in Davenport I of course went in search for tea. I was surprised that there were several stands selling everything from kombucha to matcha to loose leaf. Tea was well represented here!
After walking around a bit I stumbled upon Laughing Tree Tea’s vendor stand. I must admit the free sample of peach green tea got me. I am a sucker for samples. But the sample was very nice so I decided to scope out the offerings. There were a lot of teas to smell and different sizes of tea to purchase. I do appreciate when companies offer sample packs of tea because honestly I am drowning in tea reserves. I often times want to sample a tea but don’t want to commit to a whole 2 ounces. Plus my husband tells me I might have to rent a storage pod if I continue to add to my collection. At any rate i purchased 4 samples to try.
Like a kid in a candy store I ripped open the first sample as soon as I got home! The first one I have tried and am reviewing today is Pumpkin Chai.
Laughing Tree Tea (try saying that 3 times fast) is a hand blended and locally sourced company that sells their tea in their cafe in Waterloo, IA but also at various farmer’s markets in the area. I smelled the sample of Pumpkin Chai in the vendor stall and immediately loved it! The scent is spicy, sweet and a bit nutty. I steeped my sample up at 212 degrees for 3 minutes. I felt that the tea could actually benefit for a slightly longer steep time so I let it steep an additional 2 minutes after my first sip. The base of this tea is black tea with rooibos. I enjoyed the mix of teas as the rooibos lends a nutty and sweet dimension to the blend. The traditional chai spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and black pepper are present as is coriander. I absolutely love coriander, it gives such a warm distinct flavor to blends. Also, almond, orange, flower petals and nut oil are added.
I really loved this tea. The spices blend so well together without being too spicy. There is a slight hint of pumpkin so I am suspecting that is contained in the natural flavors that are added. I loved this tea on its own but did find that adding a bit of soy milk enhanced the flavor. I suspect this will make an amazing latte.
This is an excellent blend and I have high hopes for the other 3 tea samples that I picked up. It seems that so often we hear about the large tea companies out there but the smaller companies like Laughing Tree Tea are doing some amazing things with tea that deserve to get noticed!
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Laughing Tree Tea
Description
Warm up with this with this pumpkin flavored chai. If you like pumpkin this is your chai. Offered seasonally be sure to pick up your brew. Chai is traditionally served sweetened and this fun tea is pre-sweetened with ghost and pumpkin candies.
Ingredients: Tea, Cinnamon, Apple & Rosehip pieces, Ginger, Cardamom, Black & White pepper, Candy, Hibiscus & Calendula & Sunflower petals, Clove, Nutmeg, and Natural flavors.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Chai/Davids Tea. . . . .
Recently I was teaching my brother’s girlfriend how to bake. We might have gotten a little excited though because we ended up making 5 different types of cookies and some walnut fudge. As a result of the fudge, we were left with just a small amount of sweetened condensed milk hanging out in the fridge. Since I’m not quite sure what anyone would have done with it, I thought I’d experiment a bit and try using it in tea…particularly a chai tea and with the recent release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Chai is what immediately came to mind. I planned on using the 52 Teas version of Pumpkin Chai but since I haven’t had it before, I didn’t want to use majority of the packet I had (if not the whole packet) for something that might not turn out. So that’s why I landed on using this Pumpkin Chai tea by DAVIDsTEA instead, a tea that I have actually blogged about before on SororiTea Sisters.
When I looked up recipes for incorporating condensed milk into tea, none were really clear and a lot suggested using it in an iced tea. I decided to go with the iced tea plan and then sort of just winged it. I used 3 perfect teaspoons of leaf in 6 oz of water, steeped per company directions. I filled an 8 oz glass 2/3 of the way with ice. I then put a giant teaspoonful of sweetened condensed milk. When I poured the tea over it, the ice melted but the milk sort of just went to the bottom so I stirred the crap out of it, and since it didn’t quite fill the glass, I topped it with some whipped cream, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
So, since DAVIDsTEA Pumpkin Chai is caramelly, and condensed milk is sweet, and whipped cream is sweet, this was one sweet drink. Not cloying like one would expect but definitely not for those who don’t like sugar. As for me, I’m not bothered by it. The caramel is really boosted here, it’s like drinking liquid caramel actually, with a nice pop of the spices, especially the cinnamon and clove, at the end of the sip. It’s actually quite good but I can’t help but feel this would be even better as a hot tea. Something tells me that would bring out the spices more, creating a richer drink with more contrast between the tea and the condensed milk. Hot, and perhaps a more traditional Chai that doesn’t highlight a caramel sweetness.
So all in all, this experiment worked out quite well I’d say. And since I still have condensed milk left, I’ll probably continue experimenting and try to perfect a recipe.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
Let’s face it, the best thing about fall is the return of pumpkin spiced lattes. And this rich black tea is the perfect way to kick off the season. 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 year round.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Pumpkin Spice Chai from Art of Tea. . . .
Repeat after me: “There is no time of year that pumpkin spice is inappropriate.”
Feel free to shout it: “THERE IS NO TIME OF YEAR THAT PUMPKIN SPICE IS INAPPROPRIATE.”
All right. Now that we’ve covered that important subject, we can get into the Art of Tea’s Pumpkin Spice Chai.
I’m coming down firmly “pro” on this tea. It tastes, more than anything, like a pumpkin pie. It’s got sweetness to balance the spiciness. There are some creamy notes here that I’m really digging. I can ALMOST taste the turkey and cranberry* to go along with it!
* (Cranberry and turkey, by the way, are ALSO year-round foods, by the way.)
Unfortunately, like Thanksgiving, this tea is only available seasonally. It’s not in stock at the moment, but it could come back! Keep an eye out for it. It’s worth snapping up.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Art of Tea
Description
This tea is currently not 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!
Cocoa Chili Pumpkin from Tiesta Tea. . .
Tea friends, imagine this next paragraph as a deep-voiced movie-trailer:
“In a world of slightly-altered Earl Greys, chais, and variations on ‘creamy’ whatever, this tea dares to go where No Tea Has Gone Before. Pumpkin, chili, and cocoa: Can they overcome their differences to make a good tea?”
I’m not quite sure, but I’m definitely glad I tried it.
The pumpkin and cocoa are pretty straightforward: you experience the cocoa and the pumpkin on the tongue, and the pumpkin as the aftertaste.
The memorable feature is the chili. You can experience the burn as you swallow. It’s unusual. It’s a bit exciting. You feel like you’ve swallowed fire or walked across coals, without, you know, having actually left your living room or done anything dangerous.
The caffeine content is the bomb. This is part of Tiesta’s “energizer” line, and yuuup, that is what it is. Your mouth is sizzling and your eyes are bugging out.
You are prepared for your day. No matter how unusual it may be, you’ve already got this tea under your belt.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tiesta 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!