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The Subject:
Pumpkin Spice Black Tea
Company:
The Boston Tea Company [More info]
Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 4-6 minutes (per label)
Tea type: Black
Scents, flavorings added: Pumpkin, spices, sunflowers
Aroma, dry tea leaves: Sweet, fruity, a bit tangy
Aroma, plain — Sweet, fruity, a bit tangy
Taste, plain — Sweet, fruity, a bit tangy, bitter
Aroma, enhanced — Sweet, fruity, a bit tangy
Taste, enhanced — Smooth, sweet, a bit caramelly
Additional Infusion(s):
2nd infusion — Cloves dominate aroma, not bitter, some nice fruitiness, faint cinnamon
Comments:
’Tis truly the season for anything pumpkin. So, why not in tea? Hubby and I got to try another black tea named “Pumpkin Spice,” our second one in about a week. This one has real pieces of pumpkin in it. Still, like the previous one we tried recently, this tea does not taste like pumpkin pie, nor should you expect it to.
The dry tea was comprised of broken leaf pieces and had a sweet, fruity, yet somewhat tangy aroma. That tang very likely came from the whole cloves. You can see those cloves both in the wet and dry leaves.
The first infusion was steeped 4.5 minutes. We cut back from the usual 5 minutes we steeped black teas to see if that would give us a suitable 2nd infusion. One of the biggest issues we have had with flavored teas is not being able to get a decent 2nd infusion and therefore get more bang for our tea buck. The second steeping was done for a full 5 minutes. We are happy to say that our plan worked. In fact, you might want to cut back on the time for the 1st steeping to 4 minutes and see if that takes care of the slight bitterness.
The instructions on the label were written for both bagged and loose versions, but some kind person crossed off most of the bagged version parts. (Honest, this is how it came to me.)
This tea is really best with milk and sweetener. It gets a smoothness that is divine and turns faintly caramelly as it cools slightly. However, if you don’t like milk in your tea, you can shorten steep times a little and use a little of your favorite sweetener. Give it a shot.
NOTE: This pouch is what the Boston Tea Company uses for samples. Their normal pouches are opaque, not clear, and block out light, very important for preserving your fine teas.
Disclaimer: This tea was provided by the company named. However, the rating of the tea and any opinions concerning it are always strictly objective.
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