If you live in the Northern Hemisphere then you know that there’s nothing like taking a drive out into the country to look at the fall leaves in their vibrant autumn colors. Among the other seasonal offerings farmers turn out in roadside stalls throughout Canada and the US at that time of year, the vegetable that usually garners the most attention are pumpkins. And if you are luck enough to live anywhere near Richmond Ontario you will understand why. You see, it was in Richmond that a Pumpkin aficionado named Alan Eaton recently grew himself a world record breaking 1446 pounder! It that’s not enough to get you to pull off the country road you’re driving down we don’t know what will.

The wonderful thing about Pumpkin is that although most people simply carve them into Jack-O-Lanterns, in the right hands they can be prepared into the most delicately flavored soups, appetizers, main courses, and desserts. In fact the inspiration for this tea came from a spicy piece of pie our Master Taster requested seconds and thirds of at a roadside café in the heart of Pumpkin country.

He decided that the unique profile of spiced Pumpkin could be best captured by creating a base blend of high quality black tea and a South African, Cedarberg District Rooibos. This seemingly unlikely base blend actually balances out the palate of flavors in this tea quite perfectly. The herbal character of the Rooibos tends a mellowness that doesn’t overpower the subtle tones of our all-natural Pumpkin flavoring while the astringency of the black tea helps open the spicy tones of cinnamon, an integral component of the blend. The next time the mercury begins to dip, try a pot of this wonderful tea. The tantalizing flavor of spiced pumpkin is sure to warm the insides and keep you coming back for more. This is an absolutely amazing tea that harkens to the open road in autumn!

 What type of tea do we use, how do we flavor the tea and why do we use natural flavors?

•  We only use high grown teas from the top 3 tea growing regions of Sri Lanka - Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and Uva. These three high-grown districts produce flavorful teas that have classic ‘Ceylon’ tea character which is noted by floral bouquet and flavor notes, touches of mild astringency, bright coppery color and, most importantly - perfect for use as the base tea of our flavored teas. (We have tested teas from various other origins around the world as base stock for our flavored teas, but none of these teas made the grade.) Dimbula and the western estates of Nuwara Eliya have a major quality peak during Jan/Feb, whereas Uva and the eastern estates of Nuwara Eliya have their peak in July/Aug. This ‘dual peak period’ allow us to buy the best for our flavored tea blends several times during the year, ensuring top quality and freshness.

• We use flavoring oils not crystals to give the tea drinker an olfactory holiday before indulging in a liquid tea treat.

• We specify natural flavors. High quality tea tastes good and natural flavors do not mask the natural taste of the high grown Ceylon tea. (The norm for many making flavored tea is to use overpowering artificial flavors, which can be used to hide lower quality tea). Natural flavors do not leave an aftertaste giving the tea a clean and true character. It should be noted that natural flavors tend to be somewhat ‘soft ‘ and the flavors slightly muted, but for many this is a refreshing change and one of the desired attributes of our naturally flavored teas.