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Just finished my full length blog review of this tea (scheduled to go live late next week), and figured I’d reiterate my thoughts here.

Pumpkin Pie Tart has a very warm, inviting scent to it. Though once steeped, the flavour doesn’t exactly translate the way I would have hoped. It has a light to medium body and tastes a lot like sweet, spiced apple, at least for a majority of the sip. It finishes with a pleasant creaminess and more of the pumpkin spice. Because it doesn’t totally scream pumpkin pie in my mind, I likely won’t be re-purchasing it, but it’s enjoyable enough that I’ll have no issues finishing off what I have left of it!

Brewed this one hot with milk as a sort of “redemption cuppa”! Three weeks ago, when I had Cinnamon Bun Chai last, my taste buds were greatly impaired, so I figured I would attempt to give it another shot…

This time around, I am able to pick up on a better defined flavour that I can actually liken to cinnamon buns/rolls, BUT it’s really faint and appears more so in the finish. The overall flavour is still predominantly spicy; a combination of the cinnamon, ginger & even the clove. I appreciate that there is some sweetness to this tea, and not just 100% spice.

Sadly, it’s still a big fat nope from me. I wound up pouring the remainder of my cup over ice for a much more palatable and less intense tasting sip.

As a disclosure/forewarning/etc etc, I feel that it’s necessary to say that purchasing this tea was very out of character for me. For as long as I’ve been living, I’ve never enjoyed the taste of chocolate, and still don’t, but there is something about this tea that drew me to it. And I think that thing was the Lapsang Souchong.

After trying Fireside S’mores both as a latte and as a plain hot cuppa, I can now see why Deb insisted on only having this tea with milk. Milk really elevates the overall creaminess and helps support the lack of actual marshmallows. But I think that the combination of vanilla, toasted coconut, and the aforementioned Lapsang Souchong did a well enough job of mimicking a toasted marshmallow flavour. There is a nice amount of savoury smokiness without being overwhelming and outshining the components. Most surprising to me was the fact that the chocolate was palatable and not nearly as strong as I feared.

Overall, I really enjoyed this use of Lapsang Souchong tea. Even though I don’t think this tea necessarily screamed s’mores, it was still pretty good and I think that it’s worth trying at least once, if you’re able to get your hands on some.

Prevalent notes of ginger, to the point where I have to remind myself that I’m drinking a black tea, because the tea base is otherwise nonexistent. There are hints of creaminess from the coconut and vanilla, but not enough to confirm a “creme brulee” flavour in my mind. Especially without milk; milk is what helps to redeem this blend for me. It makes the ginger less harsh tasting, introduces a much needed creaminess, and even a bit of natural sweetness.

Would recommend if you’re a fan of ginger, but as a whole, Ginger Creme Brulee falls short in delivering a balanced flavour that properly represents its namesake.

Last week, I placed two back-to-back DAVIDsTea orders: one to stock up on Sweet Potato Pie and the latter was inspired by this blend which popped up on the site early Tuesday morning. I really gravitated towards the idea of a chai blend with an oolong base. But more than that, I was really excited for a blend inspired by cinnamon buns! Which is why I impulse bought 100g without thinking about it too much…

Now, it could be my sick brain, but I found this tea to be a bit of a letdown. I decided to make it as a hot latte with soy milk. As far as cinnamon goes, it is the most prominent of this tea from beginning to end. But with that being said, that’s all I could taste or smell, and the flavour overall was a little too “spicy” for my liking. I think this is a better cinnamon tea/spiced chai than it is a tea that tastes like cinnamon buns, at least in my opinion.

If you like spicy chai, I’d recommend Cinnamon Bun Chai, but if you’re expecting a cinnamon bun flavour like I did, you might be disappointed just the same.