September is here, and that means school is starting back up, the mornings are becoming colder, and of course, the season’s staple drink is back: the pumpkin spice latte. There is something about the warm mix of cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom that makes pumpkin spice the perfect fall flavor. Not into highly caffeinated lattes? There’s always tea. Pumpkin spice tea, in this case.
Around this time of year, I start craving pumpkin and the mix of spices that pairs so well with the big orange squash. Last fall I made some delicious pumpkin spice loaves and cookies, but my course load this year makes me nervous to set aside a day of baking. An easy way to satisfy most cravings, I’ve found, is tea. So I began an internet search for pumpkin tea and came across 10 brands that sell some variation of pumpkin spice tea, and did a little digging into what made some of the brands unique.
1. David’s Tea
One of my go-to’s for everything tea. They have stores across both Canada and the States, or if you know what you want, you can always use their online store (and get three free tea samples with every purchase). Check out their Pumpkin Chai, which is a mix of black tea, spices, little pumpkin candies, and caramel.
2. Tea Forté
This Kosher-certified tea is sure to satisfy. The iconic pyramid shape Tea Forté tea bags provide more space for the tea leaves to unfurl when immersed in hot water. These unique handcrafted pyramid-shaped infusers can be found at any one of their stores in Canada or the States or ordered online.
3. Bigelow
Bigelow’s Pumpkin Spice tea is perfect for the environmentally conscious. The family-run tea company is proud to be a certified zero-waste to landfill company, and their tea bags (minus the staple, of course) are 100% biodegradable. Find Bigelow’s pumpkin spice tea online or in select grocery stores.
4. The Republic of Tea
Part of the Ethical Tea Partnership, The Republic of Tea has an added twist of sweet blackberry leaves in their Pumpkin Spice Black Tea.
5. Stash
With the purchase of a Stash Pumpkin Spice decaf tea (found in most grocery stores), the purchaser can be assured that Stash is selective in their partnerships with tea growers and partner only with those that treat their workers fairly.
6. Tazo
This chai pumpkin spice tea can be found at Target. This tea company has partnered with Mercy Corps to help improve hygiene, empower youth, and create new economic opportunities in Guatemala and India.
7. Adagio
Adagio’s pumpkin spice is one of the harder to find pumpkin spice teas. With only three retail stores in Illinois, most people will find their online shop more accessible. However, Adagio does have the benefit of being more cost effective than most teas. 85g of Adagio’s Pumpkin Spice is $7.00, while only 50g of David’s Tea’s Pumpkin Spice is $7.98.
8. Teavana
Starbucks’ tea brand of choice, Teavana’s Pumpkin Spice Brûlée Oolong certainly lives up to the coffee shop’s use of fancy drink names. Though Starbucks doesn’t usually carry this particular flavor of tea, members can earn Starbuck’s rewards when buying the loose tea online or at one of their retail stores in Canada or the States.
9. Honey & Tea
The Sweet Pumpkin Spice offered by Honey & Tea is perhaps one of the most adventurous pumpkin spice tea blends out there. This rooibos tea has real pumpkin pieces, candied peanuts, and toasted rice alongside the more traditional spices. Honey & Tea is an online Canadian business and their products can only be found online.
10. Celestial Seasonings
Celestial Seasonings is the tea brand that gives back to the community. They support a number of organizations both locally in their home state of Colorado and globally. Their Sweet Pumpkin Spice can be purchased online and in some grocery stores.
With so many brands to choose from, it shouldn’t be hard to satisfy your craving for pumpkin spice this fall with some pumpkin spice tea.