Being in the midst of Fall, pumpkin is everywhere. So is Chai. DAVIDsTEA decided to bank on the two beloved flavors at the same time when they combined the two in their Pumpkin Chai tea blend complete with cute little pumpkin sprinkles. This tea has been a fan favorite for years which has led to it being incorporated in several recipes on the DAVIDsTEA blog. One of the recipes, the Pumpkin Chai Maple Latte, caught my eye.
The recipe includes the following ingredients:
1 Perfect Spoonful of Pumpkin Chai tea
1½ cups 95°C/200°F water
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 cup canned coconut milk (coconut milk from a carton will make the latte thinner)
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup or to taste
It is a fairly simple recipe. The steps are as follows:
1. Add water, tea and spices to a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil.
2. Lower heat and simmer for 8 min.
3. Add coconut milk, pumpkin puree and maple syrup, and let simmer for another 3-5 min.
4. Strain into mug(s) and enjoy!
One thing I will note is that the last step, straining the mix, is not easy if you don’t have the right utensils. I tried my gravity steeper but that almost immediately got clogged. I think I had to use about 4 strainers from my nordic/perfect tea mugs and slowly let the tea drain out as I stirred the mix in the strainer to push it through. In the end, I got about 12-16 ounces out of the pot and the rest was stuck in the steeper and strainers.
So with that in mind, is it worth the straining disaster? Well, that depends…do you like pumpkin? This is like a rich, creamy, sweet pumpkin soup – a little touch of spice from the cinnamon and ginger and a lot of sweet from the brown sugar and maple. It is very thick which is what is making me think soup as opposed to a beverage, which means it is also very filling. If I am being honest, I’ve never had pumpkin pie, but if someone took the filling, slightly liquefied it and added some ginger to make it a touch more savory, this is what I imagine the result would be. Except with some caramel maple syrup drizzled on top.
For me, this is a little bit weird. I think the slight hint of the pumpkin puree texture that still remains is making me feel like I am trying to drink something that I should be eating with a spoon. It also has a disconnect between the sweet and spice. At first, I get the pumpkin’s natural sweetness with spice but then caramel and maple pop out at the end of the sip and though they are nice flavors, they don’t blend smoothly.
For me, this is likely a recipe I won’t repeat. I have never been a HUGE pumpkin lover and this was too much work (after all the cleaning especially) for something I didn’t love. It was certainly fun to try though.
Want to Know More About This Tea?
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: DAVIDs Tea
Description
The forever fall must-have. This rich premium 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 truly unforgettable pumpkin chai latte experience, top it up with steamed milk and stir in a spoonful of brown sugar.
