Autumn is here and it’s time for a delicious cup of Whittard Spiced Pumpkin Chai. Maybe. To be quite honest, there are hundreds of chai options you can buy to make at home, and “pumpkin” chai is one of the most readily available. So, why buy Whittard’s? That’s the question I’m going to answer today.
Whittard’s blend combines black tea and spices with ginger, carrot and pumpkin. But to get the right chai vibes, there needs to be a careful balance of the black tea, spices and sweet flavours.
Below you’ll find a detailed explanation of what the tea tastes like, how to brew it into a delicious pumpkin chai latte, and some more info about the brand that you should read before you buy it!
Whittard Spiced Pumpkin Chai at a Glance
Izzy’s Rating
- Blend: Black tea, spices, carrot and natural flavouring
- Flavour: Smooth black tea with soft spice notes and a ginger tingle
Though the pumpkin is incredibly subtle in the flavour, this is a delicious tea with cinnamon pastry spice and ginger tingles that wake up the senses.
Full Review – Spiced Pumpkin Chai Black Tea
- Type: Loose leaf
- Tea: Black tea of unknown origins
- Ingredients: Pumpkin, ginger, carrot, cinnamon, cloves, flavouring
- Flavour Notes: Smooth black tea, soft spices, ginger, floral perfume
- Aroma: Sweet tart apple, cinnamon pastries, dried fruits, autumn spice, brown sugar
- Milk or Lemon: Milk and honey, if desired
- Where to Buy: Whittard Official Tea Store
If autumn hasn’t begun already, opening the packet of Whittard Spiced Pumpkin Chai will kickstart it. The aroma is beautiful – notes of sweet tart apple, cinnamon pastries, dried fruits (maybe sultanas and orange peel), and that classic pumpkin spice mix. Mmmmmm.
Seriously, I could sit here all day breathing it in. I’d be happy even without taking a sip.
But that’d be crazy, of course. So let’s brew it.
Once you add hot water, it brews into a bright and clear amber coloured tea liquor with nutmeg brown tones. The aroma develops to bring mixed spices and black tea astringency to the forefront, with subtle brown sugar sweetness chasing it along.
The flavour, however, is not very chai-like. The smooth black tea is a welcome base, but it doesn’t have the oomph to stand up to milk. Soft spices make up the high notes and a subtle ginger tingle warms your tongue in the aftertaste. The more I sip, the more I can feel an almost floral perfume note as well.
Sweetness? What sweetness?
This is a delicious light black tea with warming spices. Very nice, but if you’re expecting something as rich and decadent as a Starbucks pumpkin chai latte, you may be disappointed. This is most definitely a tea, rather than a gimmick.
How to Make a Pumpkin Spiced Chai Latte
For a lightly spiced black tea experience, pop 1tsp (approx. 2g) of the loose leaf tea in an infuser and let it brew for 4 minutes. Add a few extra minutes if you like it strong.
If you want to make a spiced pumpkin chai latte with Whittard’s tea, I recommend that you ignore Whittard’s instructions and follow mine instead:
- Add 2 tsp (4g) of loose leaf tea to a small saucepan
- Fill your mug with milk right to the brim, then pour this into the saucepan over the tea
- Slowly bring the heat up until the milk is just about to simmer, but not yet bubbling
- Keep it warm for 10 minutes, either by lowering the heat or adding a lid and turning the heat off
- Add a teaspoon of honey while the milk is still hot, to ensure it dissolves easily
- Place a strainer or sieve over your mug and pour the chai in
I prefer this method because it creates a much richer beverage and ensures that the tea has long enough to infuse for a strong flavour. By keeping the milk below boiling, you should be able to avoid splitting non-dairy alternatives like soy milk too.
Why Whittard’s Chai?
As mentioned, you have so many options when it comes to chai – check out my best chai list for a taste – so why should you buy Whittard’s? Well, the ingredients are good. There’s actual pumpkin and spices in this tea! You’d be surprised how many pumpkin chai mixes (particularly the instant powder ones) are purely flavouring.
There’s also no sugar or sweetener in this tea, so you have total control over how sweet it is by adding honey, sugar or the sweetener of your choice.
Another great thing is the spices – you can actually see them in the mix. They’re large whole pieces that ensure a more rounded flavour as they slowly infuse. This is how the tea manages to have that smooth, clear colour. No dusty ground spices here.
Whittard are a high-street UK brand. On a scale of premium to cheap as chips, they’re closer to supermarket brands than indie loose leaf tea suppliers.
Summary
This is a delicious chai, whether you drink it as a spiced black tea or a classic milky chai. You can totally customise the strength and sweetness by brewing it at home, so this year you can skip on those coffee shop chai lattes!
You can buy this tea from Whittard of Chelsea this autumn. Find it using the button below.
Tea Recommendation
If you’re intrigued by lighter chai beverages that don’t need to be doused with milk to go down smoothly, then you might like Adagio’s White Chai. This tea mix blends white tea with ginger, lemongrass, pineapple and spices!