Taking a short break from the TTB (because the last tea didn’t work out well).
Thanks to Skysamuarai for including this in her Secret Pumpkin package.
I actually ALSO got this as part of my Secret Pumpkin package last year. Lol.
I’ve seen alot of reviews that say that this year’s blend does not really hold up to last year’s version. I have to say that I agree. Assuming that this is the current version.
The scent is a gentle pumpkin and spice scent, which is not bad. But the scent is not strong enough to carry over while actually drinking the tea. The black base is unassuming and unfortunately also non-distinctive. It is a smooth cup with barely any astringency or dryness, but not much wow factor either. Not any factors barely at all even, it’s almost like drinking scented hot water, that’s how tasteless this is. I’ve tried steeping at my normal parameters for black tea, and then also just leaving it in the infuser for a very long time to try to get something out of it. Oversteeping it lends a little astringency… to water. An odd concept isn’t it? I kept wanting to put in a bit order for this because I liked it so much last year. Glad I held back. There are plenty of other teas to keep my attention. (This made also made me miss Butiki’s pumpkin teas SOOO much).
p.s. I have no idea how people are mixing this as a latte. Maybe I just got a sample completely devoid of the chai spices.
I didn’t notice that mine tasted much different than previous years, but I will have to pay closer attention next time. Maybe I just got a good batch.