Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: 52Teas
Product Description:
As for this week’s tea of the week, I’ve been getting requests from a few customers to start creating some fall blends, so here we go. This is our unique blend of Indian black teas blended with marigold petals and natural pumpkin and cheesecake flavors. I have a feeling this is another one that is going to sell out fast, so don’t hesitate or you might miss out.
Taster’s Review:
First, for our readers from the United States:
HAPPY NATIONAL PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE DAY!
Yeah… I didn’t know it was National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day today either, until I was browsing around and stumbled upon an article about it. I hadn’t even planned on trying this tea today, but, after finding that article, I decided that I would tip my teacup to recognize this national holiday.
I guess the more obvious way to celebrate the day would be to bake a pumpkin cheesecake. However, the first time I actually tried to bake a pumpkin cheesecake, it was a disaster. I had all the right ingredients, and I even bought a spring form pan. I mixed it up, baked it, and when I pulled it out of the oven, I dropped it. KER-SPLAT! All over the kitchen floor. I haven’t tried to bake one since. So, yes. I think that this tea is probably a better way to celebrate the day for this clumsy baker …
When I opened the pouch, the aroma of pumpkin and spices greeted me enthusiastically. The brewed liquor loses much of the pumpkin scent, but, the spices are still noticeable, I am especially noticing the fragrance of clove.
This is really yummy! Of course, that’s no big surprise for me, since Frank hasn’t really let me down yet (at least, not to my recollection!) The flavors are very well integrated here, as there is not a flavor that I notice “first” – I taste them all, although they aren’t all equally represented.
The black tea is the strongest note. This is Frank’s “usual” – that is, a blend of Nilgiri and Assam tea. It works well in this blend as it is not overpowering, but it is strong and well-defined. The flavor of spices are also prominent. Specifically, I can taste clove and cinnamon. And while the spices are prominent, I don’t find them to be too overwhelming. I am not finding this to be a spice blend, rather, the spices are a pleasing accent to the pumpkin notes.
There is a really good level of pumpkin flavor. It isn’t as obvious a pumpkin flavor as in some other blends, perhaps, but I like the amount of pumpkin taste I am getting. The cheesecake flavor is there too with just the right amount of cream cheese tang.
Overall, what this tastes like is like someone liquified a slice of pumpkin cheesecake and added it to my black tea, and added a dash of pumpkin pie spice. I prefer this hot (but maybe that’s just because it’s cold outside), and I prefer it with just a little sweetener added . I used a bit of turbinado sugar, and I think that the molasses really played well to the flavors of the tea.
I can think of no better way to celebrate National Pumpkin Cheesecake day than with a cup of this tea, especially if you’re a clumsy baker like me.
Pumpkin Pie Tea from MarketSpice
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: MarketSpice
Product Description:
A holiday favorite, this tea combines Chinese Hunan black tea, Pumpkin Pie flavoring, Cinnamon and Ginger.
Taster’s Review:
Autumn is coming! Autumn is coming!
As I write this, it is one of the warmest, muggiest days of the summer, but, as I sip this tea, my thoughts turn to autumn. The cool, crisp air and the colors… I want autumn to be here now!
This tea delivers autumn in a teacup. It has a lightly spiced tone with its hints of cinnamon and ginger. While these two spices can sometimes be strong and overwhelming, here they provide only a warm, gentle kick.
The black tea is a strong Chinese Hunan tea. It is a deliciously bright tea with an astringent finish. It is bold enough to get one going in the morning and provides a solid, robust background for the other flavors of the blend.
The pumpkin flavor seemed a bit lost when I started sipping on this tea, however, as the tea cooled slightly, the pumpkin flavors started to come into focus. It doesn’t present itself as an overly pumpkin-y taste, but I like the way the pumpkin seems to smoothly glide throughout the sip, offering hints of flavor here and there.
Overall, a very pleasant pumpkin tea. This is one that you’ll be proud to serve your guests during the upcoming holiday season!
Bird of Paradise from Alice’s Fine Teas
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Blooming/White
Where to Buy: Alice’s Fine Teas
Product Description:
This bloom unfolds into beautiful birds perched in a golden nest surround by green. Not only is it visually surprising, but the taste is surprisingly spicy and reminds one of autumn, like pumpkin pie!. One of the favorites at Alice’s Fine Teas, a delicious, warm, soothing tea. Ingredients: Marigold (believed to help circulation and ease stomach ache), Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect) and Silver Needle Tea.
Taster’s Review:
I enjoy blooming teas, but I don’t really brew them very often. I blame the gadgetry – I am a self-professed anti-gadgetite (I just made that up) – and when I brew a blooming tea, I have to watch it brew, right? I guess I am just going to have to promote my glass teacup to the status of essential tool rather than its current status of “gadget” so that I can enjoy the beautiful art of blooming teas!
I steeped this bulb for four minutes in 165° F water and after the four minutes, the bulb had not completely opened. Only a hint of the orange-y blossoms that would display was showing at the very top of the bulb. But this is a good thing! It means additional infusions… which means MORE tea! Yay!
This really DOES taste like pumpkin! There are very gentle spice notes in the background, which contributes to the “pumpkin pie” like taste that is mentioned in the above product description from Alice’s Fine Teas. I wouldn’t say it tastes just like pumpkin pie – but it does have similar characteristics. The squash flavor is distinct … and quite yummy.
The tea has a very pleasant sweetness to it (I don’t recommend adding sweetener to this tea, it would overwhelm the delicate flavors!) and a light yet smooth mouthfeel. Very little (almost no) astringency to this cup. A very pleasant, mild cup of tea that makes for an excellent topic of conversation as well as a refreshing beverage.
For the second infusion, I steeped for five minutes and achieved another delicious cup of tea. The bulb had not yet fully opened until I infused for the third time (for six minutes), and the tea was still quite lovely, although the pumpkin flavor had subdued a bit by this time. There were still faint notes of squash and spice, but mostly what I tasted by this time was the soft, fresh notes of silver needle with a delicious buttery finish.
When the bulb finally did completely open, I enjoyed the sight – it looked like two swans dancing (ever go to Disneyland and watch the swans in the pond outside of Sleeping Beauty’s castle? Every hour when the sounds of a singing Sleeping Beauty can be heard, the swans dance together).
This was an incredibly fun tea to steep and to drink. The flavor was delicious and surprising, and the colorful display from the bulb made tea time all the more entertaining.
Don’t Call Me Pumpkin! from WhiteAugust Tea Company
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: WhiteAugust Tea Company
Product Description:
A yummy blend of South African Rooibos, toasted pumpkin, ginger and cinnamon sprinkled with candy treats. Tea comes in a stylish tin and includes T-sacs, so you can enjoy your Tea on the Go.
Taster’s Review:
This is a whimsical looking tea. The little pumpkin candies that you can see in the photo above are so tiny (much tinier than the photo might suggest!) and give this yummy pumpkin flavored rooibos a really fun attitude.
Not surprisingly, this tisane tastes very autumnal. The pumpkin flavor is not as strong as I thought it would be, edged significantly by the flavors of cinnamon and ginger. These are not spicy-hot tasting spices and they only a gentle warmth to the overall cup. These spices taste more like accents in pumpkin pie rather than the sometimes super hot or peppery spices they can be.
The toasted pumpkin does not come across as a overwhelming flavor, but it does nicely disguise the rooibos taste – of which I can only taste a slight nutty hint of flavor. As I continue to make my way down to the bottom of the cup, I find that the pumpkin flavor develops a bit more, but never really becomes extraordinarily strong here. That being said, I think this cup presents itself as a very well-balanced set of flavors and is lightly sweet, warm, and comforting, and leaves a faint note of spice in the aftertaste.
I enjoyed my cup with a tiny drizzle of agave nectar and I found that this gave a little definition to the spices without making the cup too sweet. Do taste it before you sweeten it though, because it does have a little bit of sweetness to the cup already (the little candy bits melt in the hot water!)
A lovely cup of pumpkin pie that you can enjoy all year round!
Bird of Paradise Tea from Alice’s Fine Tea
Tea Type: Flowering Tea/Blooming Tea
Where To Buy: Alice’s Fine Tea
Product Description:
This bloom unfolds into beautiful birds perched in a golden nest surround by green. Not only is it visually surprising, but the taste is surprisingly spicy and reminds one of autumn, like pumpkin pie!. One of the favorites at Alice’s Fine Teas, a delicious, warm, soothing tea. Ingredients: Marigold (believed to help circulation and ease stomach ache), Lily (said to enhance energy and to have a cooling effect) and Silver Needle Tea
Tasters Review:
Surprisingly this DOES taste a lot like pumpkin or maybe more of a butternut squash with yummy spice notes underneath! As it cools at room temperature it does taste more like pumpkin…not really pumpkin pie, but pumpkin. It’s almost like a flavored silver needle! It’s very nice – very surprising! It’s also slightly peppery in the middle of the sip but finishing somewhat soothing and flatter.
The 2nd infusion…is completely different. It’s floral from start to finish and a little bitter…but floral bitter, not bad bitter. I would say more marigold, specifically.
I will say this is one of the more perfectly bloomed Flowering Teas I have had…it had no problem blooming whatsoever! It was very beautiful and it was very aromatic even before infusing. This is certainly a tea for special occasions and certainly a piece of art! I enjoyed this quite a bit.
