Pumpkin Chai - David's Tea

Where to buy:  David’s Tea

Description:  Let’s face it, the best thing about fall is pumpkin pie. And this spiced black tea is arguably just as delicious. It’s got all the warmth of cinnamon, pumpkin pieces, cloves and cardamom, 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 all year round.

Ingredients:  Black tea, cinnamon, cloves, lemon peel, squash, carrot, caramel bits, pumpkin candies, natural and artificial flavoring  

Contains milk and soy

My Review:

I found this tea on the David’s Tea website the other day and really wanted to try it. I LOVE pumpkin pie and the thought of a tea that claimed to taste just like pumpkin pie was too hard to ignore. Luckily, my sister had a pouch that she had just bought and she let me use some of hers.

When I opened the pouch I was immediately drawn to the little pumpkin candies. Pumpkin Chai is made with black tea, so the little orange candies really stand out and they are adorable! There are chunks of lemon peel, squash, pumpkin pieces and carrot along with whole cloves that blend well with the black tea and give the overall impression of an earthy tone. This tea smells very sweet with a hint of spice.

The recommended brewing is 1.5 tsp. of Pumpkin Chai, water heated to 98 degrees Celsius (or 208 degrees Fahrenheit), steeped for 4-6 minutes. I brewed a double serving again for 5 minutes and added a little milk.

Once I had brewed my cup of tea it smelled faintly of pumpkin and mostly of cinnamon. I was super excited because I figured that to taste like pumpkin pie it would have to have a very strong pumpkin and cinnamon taste. On my first sip I was a bit disappointed. The taste was very light and it only tasted mildly of pumpkin. I’m sure that this tea would be a good accompaniment to a slice of pumpkin pie (or a whole pie!), but on its own it wasn't as spicy or as strong as I thought it would be. I think this tea could benefit from a little more cinnamon and pumpkin flavor, and maybe a little nutmeg thrown in.

All in all, this tea was actually a pleasantly comforting tea that does remind me of the fall. I think the only reason that I was a bit disappointed in the strength of the flavor was because I had hyped myself up so much about it tasting exactly like pumpkin pie that when it didn't I was a bit disappointed.