Pumpkin Spice

Long time no tea! Short update: We’ve bought our first house and I’m pregnant with our second child! Now ON TO THE TEA!

The aroma is cinnamon and red rooibos. I’m not a fan of rooibos, but this was a free sample so…

The flavor is fairly inoffensive. It’s naturally sweet and slightly spicy. Not a winner for my palate but probably is very enjoyable to others. It’s not very strong. No pumpkin to speak of. I’ll drink this cup but I wouldn’t try it again.

Decent rooibos blend. The flavor is not too strong, which is more to my liking, and the aftertaste is pleasant. Not something I would drink year round, but it fits the autumn season nicely. If you are looking for an overpowering pumpkin flavor with a lot of spice, this is not the tea for you, but it is a nice subtle flavored rooibos tea.

Backlog:
I had this last night after dinner and it was alright, definitely better than I remember but not as good as my first impression was. The cinnamon, nutmeg, “pumpkin spice” flavors definitely overpower any rooibos that’s there for me and it is reminiscent of the pumpkin spice excitement that is New England in the fall but it’s just not doing it for me anymore. This could just be one of those teas for me that is season specific, but I’d also like to try this as a latte or something before I stash it away!

I almost bought a tin of this tea this fall when I was really wanting pumpkin spice tea. I am pretty glad I didn’t. A friend of mine is starting to get into tea and I was digging through his tiny stash and came upon a tin of this. I grabbed a sachet and attempted to brew a cup. I definitely didn’t pay attention to how I was brewing it and didn’t know the water to tea bag ratio so take this review with a grain of salt, but for me it was just a nice spiced tea. There were hints of cinnamon, and I could tell it was rooibos, but pumpkin didn’t scream out at me like I would like it too. Glad I got to try it, and glad I didn’t purchase a tin.

I haven’t tried very much from Harney and Sons yet, so I was excited to see lots of H&S samples in the package I received from Kyla today. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that Butiki’s Pumpkin Creme Brulee has forever ruined me for every other pumpkin tea. This one wasn’t bad, really. There was actually some pumpkin mixed in with all the spices! But it was a sharp flavor like raw pumpkin, not the sweet, creamy cooked-pumpkin taste I was hoping for. It was also a little heavy on the cinnamon for my tastes. But on the plus side, the cinnamon completely drowned out that nasty rooibos aftertaste that I dread!

I like this one much more than other “spice” teas, mainly because of how mellow it is. In comparison to other pumpkin spice flavors, this one is very smooth and drinkable without any harsh cinnamon flavors, and there’s just a hint of creamy pumpkin flavor to balance it out. I bought it on clearance at Target, and i’m pretty happy with my purchase.

Every time I look at this box of tea I get really excited… because I am one of those “Pumpkin Spice Fanatics”. But, I always forget that anything pumpkin flavored is typically terrible tasting without added sugar. This tea is not an exception to that rule. I never add sugar to my teas, so this comes off as extremely bold. Although the tea is not terrible, it has a pretty strong pumpkin/clove/nutmeg flavor. So if you aren’t a fan of those flavors in a big way… stay away.

So disappointed!! This was my first Harney & sons purchase. It’s very weak. :( I don’t taste the pumpkin at all. It’s more of a flavored water. Super weak and super disappointed!

I’m not in the mood for a narrative, but I haven’t posted a tasting note in a while so… here’s a tasting note. My impressions of this tea seem to differ wildly from those of other reviewers.

The dry leaf smells all pumpkin spicy. The most dominant scent is nutmeg. So. Much. Nutmeg. It’s not bad, just… strong.

Speaking of strong, the scent of clove wafts out of the mug and smacks you in the face about three seconds after the water hits the leaf. By contrast, the flavor is actually quite well balanced. The pumpkin leads, strong but not artificial, followed by cinnamon and clove. Not really getting any nutmeg taste though. The cinnamon lingers long after the sip, along with a hint of sweetness. It’s very similar to the after-taste of HS’s Hot Cinnamon Spice. Not sure how I feel about that. It’s a bit…much.

Overall, the actual sip is nice and well-balanced, but the scent and aftertaste are a bit too strong and one-note for my liking. I’ll just add it to the collection in my office drawer.

Got this one as a birthday gift from the lovely Albertocanfly! She also sent me a small box of Corn Silk Tea (which sounds weird, but is actually super good!), a 2oz bag of the amazing Snowflake from Georgia Tea Co, an adorably small teapot that I really should post a pic of, and a few tea samples.
Tea friends are the sweetest! ^^
Anyway!
This tea.
It’s not that bad. It has a bad rating here on Steepster, but it’s not horrible.
Definitely drinkable.
No sign of pumpkin in this tea, but it’s more of a cinnamon spice tea. Wouldn’t get more of this, but I’ll definitely finish it. Will be nice on the rainy days, I’m sure.
Would be better if I could taste the pumpkin though! If only. :S
Still like the cute tin though. Thank you for the tea, Albertocanfly! :D