Pumpkin Chai

Pumpkin Chai

So, we're at the last of my Fall Tea collection. Kayla already reviewed this tea in the first week of the Fall reviews. But, twice the review!

I love how it smells. It is absolutely drool worthy scent wise!
Om nom nom nom.

It smells almost like pumpkin pie straight out of the oven. You can smell caramel, cardamom and cloves the most.
In fact, I can still smell it lingering around my room. Yum yum.

I again used 1 tbsp to 4 cup pot. So far it's been my best fall back measurement wise. The bag said to steep it from 4-6 minutes, so I steeped it 5 minutes, just because...isn't that what everyone does?

So I had this tea without milk, with milk, then with milk and brown sugar.

Without milk I could taste the caramel the most, then the cloves as a secondary flavor. 

With just some milk I could taste the black tea most. It ended up overpowering things so that it tastes pretty much like milk and basic black tea. Sad days.

With milk and sugar it really blocked out everything but the taste of the milk and sugar.

I honestly liked the tea better when it just had a bit of sugar in it. Added sweetness that rounded out the flavor and made it much more appealing. So this combination was a thumbs up for sure!

Overall, I liked the tea, but it wasn't what I expected. I'm honestly a little underwhelmed. It smelled SO GOOD, but tasted, underwhelming.  Good, but underwhelming. I know I'm really repeating myself on that part, but it's really true. It was nice. But it was ONLY nice. It's scent is it's main redeeming factor.

I really don't think I'll get any more before the fall runs out. I'll spare what I have for a special post down the road. (IS THE SUSPENSE KILLING YOU YET?) But, I personally don't feel it's worth buying a second time.

Skål!

Now I'm going to snuggle into bed with a good book tumblr. 

-Laura

IF YOU HAVE ANY TEA YOU WOULD LIKE REVIEWED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

Sugar and Spice

Sugar and Spice

Just like with Mom's, this is a play by play review for at least the first part.

It's another gross day, it started off raining, so it's damp and chilly. The perfect day to be trying a new tea! My second tasting of the Fall collection; Sugar and Spice.

Opening the bag was heavenly. It smelled like I was baking a steamed carrot pudding. I just wanted to smell it over and over! Or eat it! Damn, now I want pudding. 

I put 1 tbsp leaf to a 4 cup pot and steeped it for about 5 minutes. To be honest, I was listening to Started with a Song By Brett Kissel, and then took out the leaves when it finished playing. He's basically a big cutie from Alberta. And, the song is perfect steeping length.

The other rooms were being
used or had horrible light.

It tastes almost exactly how it smells, just not as sweet. And, thus far, it is the ONLY tea I have enjoyed MORE with a splash of milk and some Sugar in the Raw. I swear it tastes like a cookie if you put in some milk and sugar (or whichever sweetener you like the best).

The milk tones back the flavor of the black tea, which allows the carrot, apple, cinnamon, cloves, and marigold to poke through. Happily, the sugar compliments it with it's sweetness, as opposed to overpowering it. 

Drinking this tea is a good experience, but only one I'd do with sugar and milk. It may have medium caffeine, but I'm finding it quite soothing. 

Oh look! I drank the entire pot!

I think I'll be buying this before fall has run away!

Skål and stay cozy!
-Laura

IF YOU HAVE ANY TEA YOU WOULD LIKE REVIEWED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO.

Pumpkin Chai

Pumpkin Chai from DavidsTea

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

Pretty pretty new cup

Ah, yes. The much anticipated PUMPKIN CHAI that every DT fan has been raving about since the announcement of the fall collection. The internet got me incredibly excited about this tea... And when I opened the bag and stuck my nose in there... WOW! This tea smells fucking amazing. I've had this twice now and each time I brewed it for five minutes and six minutes. It's a good time. But the annoying thing is that each time this tea has tasted different... And not like the way it smells.
The first time I got a nice chunk of squash, and so WOW, it tasted exactly like pumpkin pie filling and I really liked it, it's like autumn was having a party in my mouth. The second time, I must not have gotten any squash because it was much more sweet and almost artificial tasting... the best way I can described it is like tasting the aroma of a fancy pumpkin or apple cinnamon candle (just not waxy), it isn't bad, much better if you make sure you get a piece of squash - yumyum. Just not what I was expecting... But my mum really loved it!

Next I will be trying it brewed extra strong as the DavidsTea Ultimate Pumpkin Chai recipe! I think it will be much better this way... Here we go!

Ultimate Pumpkin Chai recipe from DavidsTea

I am a huge fan of the Starbucks Chai-tea latte, so I was excited to make this....

I used three perfect spoonfuls in one cup of boiled water and let it sit for longer than six minutes, yadda yadda....
Blahhh... I can see how it would be a delightful drink, but I would reduce the amount of milk by a 1/4 cup (I reeaallly don't like that weird taste hot milk gets). Even with two and a HALF teaspoons of brown sugar and a pinch of nutmeg. Or maybe use some cream because 1% milk... eh.

This is a treat that needs tweeking for every individual. But it isn't gross, so, if you have the patience... DO IT!

I prefer it on its own.
But you'll have to decide for yourself.

Happy Steeping!

~K

Sorry this was SO long. And so many pictures.