Second pumpkin tea of the evening. I wanted to try this one back to back with Pumpkin Milkshake (1.0, if I may call it that), because I knew that’s the only way I’d remember either one clearly enough to be able to compare.
This one, with its Doke Rolling Thunder oolong base, is slightly different from 1.0. It’s less spicy, although there is a tiny hint poking through from the background. It’s also less creamy. What creaminess there is here is an undertone rather than an overtone. The upside of both these things is that the pumpkin flavour is clearer and better defined — it’s the centre of the tea, it’s subject, rather than an afterthought. The downside is that the base pokes out more, and is slightly bitter.
Taken as a whole, it just doesn’t seem to work as well, or as coherently, as the 1.0 with its darjeeling base did. I like this version for different reasons than the original, but on balance I think I prefer the darjeeling version. It’s smoother, creamier, and seems to fit together better. I do like the extra pumpkin flvour here, though, so it’s a very hard call to make. I’ll enjoy drinking more of both — they can hardly be considered the same, really. I think I’ll try this one with sugar next, though.
