What a nice treat! I had wanted to try this for a while after hearing some people liked it better than the “standard” pumpkin pie teas. I am somewhat obsessed with David’s Pumpkin Chai as many of you know, but was still curious about what I was missing. The dry leaf is very attractive with shorter dark tea leaves, orange pumpkin candies, chunks of what appears to be dried squash/pumpkin, and even whole cloves.
The steeped tea is a dark brown clear liquor and I didn’t notice an oil slick inside my cup, but the candies and other goodies do melt a bit into the infuser. The smell is heavenly! My whole kitchen smells like a fresh-baked pumpkin pie with hot chocolate to serve with it.
The taste of this tea is quite a pleasant surprise. Not too sweet, not too mild- it carries with it the actual taste of smooth black tea along with the pumpkin pie spices and a hint of chocolate at the end of the sip. The chocolate is more fragrant than in your face for the taste- it is there, but far from overwhelming the pumpkin pie.
The verdict? Truly, I am still mad about Pumpkin Chai, but this is my favorite closest second so far to any of the seasonal pumpkin-y teas I’ve tried over the years. I really like it and am glad I have more to play with. Next time I might make a milk or eggnog latte and see how it comes out. :)
Flavors: Cocoa, Malt, Pumpkin Spice, Smooth, Sweet
Actually, I don’t even know if it is fair to compare a chai blend to a flavored black, so maybe David’s Pumpkin Chai is my favorite chai and this is my favorite pumpkin pie flavored/seasonal tea to date. :)