Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to buy: Adagio Teas
Tea Description:
Premium black tea from Sri Lanka flavored with pumpkin and exotic spices. Autumn festivities just wouldn’t be the same without the comforting, smooth sweetness of spiced pumpkin – and neither would your tea time. Warm and rich flavor, with lingering cozy aromatics.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I love handmade soap, and my favorite soap artisan is Rebecca, from Rebecca’s Soap Delicatessen. With my most recent order, she was nice enough to send me a sachet of this tea! Because I had not yet tried this particular flavor from Adagio Teas, I was happy to receive it, and especially thrilled because Rebecca was once one of my best tea customers (back when I sold my own blends), and it’s kind of cool that she’s now sending me tea!
Adagio Teas has a very … weird … black tea base. The first time I tried it, I wrote to them to find out what type of tea they use, and they told me a Ceylon. Well, their Ceylon is quite unlike any Ceylon I can ever remember tasting … except for in Adagio Teas’ flavored teas. It is rather harsh, to put it mildly. However, after having had some experience with Adagio Teas’ black tea base, I’ve learned a thing or two about brewing their flavored black teas so that it does not taste so abrasive.
First, don’t use boiling water. Just under boiling – between 195° and 200° F – will do the trick. Then, do not steep the tea for the five minutes that Adagio suggests. I find that a brewing time of 2 1/2 minutes – 3 minutes produces a much more favorable cup. Finally, allow the tea to cool slightly after it’s brewed. I find that letting it sit for three to four minutes before I take a sip and the cup is far less astringent than if I take a sip immediately. In this case, patience is definitely rewarded.
And this really isn’t such a bad tea after brewing it in the way I just described. The spices are nice and warm, and the black tea is rich tasting and only mildly astringent. My only real complaint about this tea would be with it’s pumpkin flavor – it tastes artificial. I’ve had quite a few pumpkin teas where the pumpkin tastes more natural than this. It just tastes kind of … off. However, it’s not so horrible that I cannot finish the cup and enjoy it!
Certainly not my favorite Adagio offering but I didn’t hate it either … and I loved that my dear friend sent it to me. That she thought of me … it meant a lot! Thank you, Rebecca!
Pumpkin Spice Autumn Spiced Tea from Bigelow
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Bigelow
Also available at Goodies Company
Tea Description:
Fall in love with Bigelow® Pumpkin Spice Tea. The harvest moon brings bountiful blessings for us to enjoy, not the least of which is Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Tea. Smooth and satisfying, its rich, round flavor is a masterful blend of the finest, mountain-grown teas. Pumpkin Spice Tea has no calories – just sweeten to taste for an Autumn treat that is sure to warm the hearts of family, friends and all who gather ’round.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I received this individually wrapped bagged tea in my November Goodies Box, and while I review most of the items that I receive in my tasting boxes on my foodie blog, since this is tea, I felt that I should review this right here.
While I’m not thrilled about bagged tea in general, I was happy to find tea in my Goodies box. (But hey, Goodies Co., how about some LOOSE LEAF tea?) I mean, whenever these kinds of boxes showcase tea, it feels like a win for tea lovers. Even if it is a bagged tea.
And for a bagged tea, this isn’t all that bad. The black tea base tastes strong and pleasant, with a slight astringency but no bitterness. It is smooth and has a nice earthy quality to it that offers a good background for the warm spices in this blend.
I can taste the pumpkin, which is always a plus when it comes to pumpkin flavored teas as I’ve come across a few where the pumpkin flavor was lacking. That is not the case here, it has a sweet, pumpkin-y flavor that is complemented very nicely with the cinnamon, clove and ginger. I also taste a hint of licorice in this, and at first I thought maybe my taste buds were playing tricks on me, but I checked the list of ingredients, and sure enough – there’s licorice in this! Nice!
Overall, this is a satisfying tea. I do wish it wasn’t bagged because perhaps I’m becoming even more snobbish these days, but I have gotten to the point where the taste of paper often accompanies these bagged teas, and I don’t like to drink paper flavored teas. Call me crazy. Fortunately, the intended flavors of spice, pumpkin and tea are strong enough here that the paper is not a dominating component in this cup, but I do taste faint paper-y notes and I’d really rather they not be there.
So, I’ll summarize by saying as a bagged tea this is alright. If it were a loose leaf tea, I think I would categorize it as better than alright … it would be very good!
Pumpkin Pie Matcha from Red Leaf Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Green (Matcha)
Where to Buy: Red Leaf Tea
Tea Description:
Despite its unique name, pumpkin pie tastes very similar to sweet potato pie. It is sweet on the palate and when combined with the enriching hints of exotic Matcha, becomes more balanced and delectable on the palate. Pumpkin Pie Matcha can be adapted to suit the occasions of young children because of its sweet beckonings and also the occasions of adults because of its delectable taste. This understated delicious snack can be an excellent choice as an in between meal snack for those who are not afraid to experience true adventure. It’s surprisingly sweet taste both delights and enriches the palate with unexpected pleasure.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
After thanksgiving dinner, after the turkey and all the trimmings … you want dessert, right? And what’s more traditional than a slice of pumpkin pie? But … after eating the turkey and all the trimmings, do you really want to consume all the calories in that slice of pumpkin pie?
Pumpkin Pie Matcha to the rescue!
This Matcha tastes very much like a slice of rich, creamy pumpkin pie that’s been liquified and added to a bowl of Matcha! YUM! I taste the sweet yet savory pumpkin goodness, I taste the spices, I even taste a hint of the buttery crust! This Matcha gives you the goodness of that delicious thanksgiving pumpkin pie … and you don’t have to wait until thanksgiving rolls around to enjoy it.
Because Red Leaf Tea lets you customize each batch of Matcha, you get to control just what goes in to your Matcha. Want a stronger pumpkin pie flavor? Choose the robust or “There’s Matcha In There?!” level of flavoring. Want more green tea taste with just a hint of flavor? Choose the delicate level of flavoring. Want an ultra high quality Matcha as the base? Choose Royal or Imperial Matcha! You can even choose black tea Matcha or White Tea Matcha or the naturally caffeine free Rooibos Matcha! I love the choices … I love being able to customize my Matcha!
For this batch of Matcha, I chose the distinctive level of flavoring with the classic grade of green tea Matcha, and it is a delightful balance between smooth, creamy green tea and rich, decadent pumpkin pie.
I find that with this particular flavor, it’s best served as a latte. To make my Matcha latte, I first measured the Matcha into my sieve and then sifted the Matcha into my chawan. Then I added some hot water and whisked it until it was all mixed through, and then I added some warmed milk … I used about the same amount of warm milk to hot water – I never measure my liquids I just kind of eyeball it. This ratio of 1:1 hot water to warmed milk produces a really satisfying bowl of Matcha! The pumpkin pie flavors really seem to come forth with the addition of the milk.
Another great Matcha from Red Leaf Tea!
Pumpkin Pie from Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Trail Lodge Tea
Tea Description:
This tea is the perfect treat for the holidays. It starts with a blend of black teas that is full bodied, rich, and smooth. Then it is blended with the flavors of pumpkin pie. Add milk for a delicious latte.
Learn more about this blend here.
Taster’s Review:
It seems that pumpkin pie flavored teas are becoming more and more popular. As little as just a couple of years ago, you’d be hard pressed to find more than a handful of pumpkin pie teas, but now, it seems like just about every tea company out there has a version of a pumpkin pie tea or tisane. Some are better than others, of course, with some tasting very true to pumpkin pie flavor while others tasting more like they’re comprised of little more than pumpkin pie spice and a tea base, with no real pumpkin taste to them.
This is one of the better pumpkin pie teas that I’ve tried. I knew it from the moment I opened the package and the smell of pumpkin pie filled the kitchen! If you happened to walk in to the kitchen as this tea was brewing, you’d swear I was baking a pie!
Taste-wise, I think what sets this one apart for me at least is the black tea base. It is a good, solid black tea base that is full-flavored, but not so heavy that it interferes with the flavoring. It is rich and satisfying, but there is a certain appealing lightness to it as well that keeps the palate from feeling overwhelmed with black tea, preventing it from tasting the pumpkin pie flavor.
The pumpkin flavor is a little lighter than I would like it to be, at least, while served straight. I find that this tea is better served as a latte, because pumpkin pie is a creamy pie, and I find that the creaminess of the latte allows the pumpkin to come through in just the right way.
The addition of milk also helps to smooth out the spices. I find that this is a deliciously well-spiced tea, but, the cloves are just a wee bit sharp. With the splash of milk, the cloves are softened up, making it much smoother, creamier and delicious.
Overall, a very enjoyable pumpkin pie flavored tea – one I’d be proud to serve to holiday guests! I find it is tasty served straight up, but even better when turned into a latte! YUM!
Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake from 52Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Tea Description:
Yes, it’s that time of year again, time for a pumpkin blend, but not just any pumpkin blend. Here’s our premium black teas blended with marigold petals and natural and organic flavors. It’s a guilt-free (vegan even) caramelly, cheesecakey, pumpkiny feast for your sweet-tooth all wrapped up in the hug of a great cuppa premium black tea.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
OK, this is seriously yummy. Yes, it might even taste better than it sounds. And, yes, just the name alone is enough to make my sweet tooth swoon. Caramel? Pumpkin? Cheesecake? Um… yes please!
The black tea base is full-flavored and smooth. Very smooth. I am experiencing absolutely no bitterness here, and very little (if any) astringency. The only time I really notice astringency with this blend is if I actually stop, focus on the sip, and try to find it.
And while it is a good, hearty black tea, it is not overly aggressive. The flavors here are wonderfully expressed. I taste the pumpkin and a hint of spices. I taste the tangy flavor of cream cheese, and there is a luscious creamy texture and taste to go along with it. The caramel is sweet. And there is even a hint of buttery pastry to this that is not so noticeable when the tea is piping hot, but, after it’s cooled for a few minutes, the crust seems to come out a little more.
This is really yummy – makes me wish I were a better baker so that I could actually make a caramel pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dessert.