Tea Blog

One of the favorite flavors of Fall is pumpkin. This is true for pies, tarts, breads, soups, and — yes! — teas. They make for a tasty tea time, especially as weather turns cooler.

If you opt for pumpkin pie, tarts, or bread, try some Darjeeling, Dragonwell, Ceylon Green or Ceylon Black. There flavors blend well with not only the pumpkin but the cinnamon and other spices used in these baked items.

A pumpkin spice flavored black tea (with some South African rooibos added in for a bit of an extra “kick”) is a great Autumn tea. Chunks of pumpkin spiced with cinnamon make the black tea dance on your tastebuds. It’s great to sip on with some milk and your sweetener of choice whether the sun is shining or grey clouds are releasing their raindrop children all around. Steep 2 minutes for a light pumpkin taste or go for as long as 5 minutes to get a real pumpkin “punch.” (My review)

Many tea vendors rush to produce their own version of this seasonal delight. Twinings Pumpkin Spice Chai is one example. Again, it’s based on black tea and includes pumpkin along with an array of appropriate spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg). Enjoy it straight or smoothed with milk. In fact, Twinings recommends that you steep the tea in half milk, half water for about 5 minutes. You may find a touch of sweetener is good, too. Personally, I find a glob of fresh whipped cream is good as a topper.

You could give in to temptation and have one of those pricey pumpkin latte thingies from the local coffee establishment. You could, but why bother when more economical options like these exist? Plus you have the pleasure of enjoying them amidst the comforts of (as the saying goes) “hearth and home,” either curled up with a good book, watching a movie on TV, or engaging in a bit of online social networking via Twitter and Facebook.

You could also bake some lovely pies. Of course, you’ll want to save some pumpkins for carving your frightful Jack-O-Lanterns!

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