Today I want to review a tea that I got a couple of months ago from Dollar Tea Club. Part of their monthly subscription included Pumpkin Patch as one of their flavors. It is the first black tea that I will be reviewing, but how good is it? Are the ingredients that compose this blend good for you? Let us find out.

Disclaimer: I brewed this tea according to the brewing instructions on their packaging. The time and temperature were all measured to make sure the blend has its intended flavor. However, on their website they recommend sugar and milk. I will not be adding sugar or milk to this tea when I try it today. If I feel milk or sugar are needed I will discuss farther down below.

Dollar Tea Club, the service and branding.

Dollar Tea Club, as I am sure I have said before, is an amazing service. Overall, the tea that they have sent me are more often hits rather than misses. Of course with anything that includes taste, whether that be fashion, food, drink, etc. it is highly up to the individual as well. All I can attest to is the quality of the ingredients that they use. Their loose leaf tea always comes fresh, and when brewed according to the instructions on their packaging, it is rarely bitter. They really strive to give quality ingredients and teas, at an affordable price and I can highly respect that.

Their website makes apparent the way in which their service works. They allow you to subscribe for about 3 dollars a month, for me that includes tax, and they send me three different tea flavors in the mail. Of course, if one wishes to buy them they are easy to find online and can be bought in bulk. Tea lends itself to being cheap already, so having a cheap service that gets tea to you is a great way for many who wish to get into tea started on their tea journey.

Ingredients.

Tea is more often than not simple, in concept and in flavor. Because of this there are many other simple ingredients added to make a blend of tea with a unique aroma and taste. So I naturally want to look at the ingredients of this particular blend first, because as a consumer that will be what you look at first to determine whether or not you will like the taste of this blend. So, lets go over the ingredients:

• Black tea, which according to Healthline has many health benefits including, antioxidants, it may lower bad cholesterol levels in the body, may lower blood pressure, may reduce the risk of stroke and many others.
• Apple, which according to EverdayHealth, mirrors a lot of the same health benefits of black tea.
• Orange, which is a great source of vitamin C.
• Rosehips, which work in tandem with the oranges added for more vitamin C.
• Pumpkin, which I expected to be second right after black tea. It is high in vitamin A.
• Hibiscus, is high in antioxidants.
• Calendula, which is a flower in the daisy family. It can work as a sort of anti-inflammatory medicine (WebMD)
• Sunflower petals, can promote brain function and a greater level of energy (Healthbenefitstimes).
• Cinnamon, where it again adds antioxidants to the mix.
• Finally they add some natural flavors that are organic compliant. Because they are organic compliant, they do not detract or cause health concerns like other “natural flavors” might (EWG).

So what are my thoughts on this ingredients spread? I know that if I was an uninformed consumer and I read this list of ingredients I would be happy that I can understand and know what 99% of them are. The only sketch player in here is the Natural Flavors used. They usually do not list these out and are often a place to hide things that quite honestly should have been listed for health reasons. Thankfully, it is in small amounts and is organic compliant so I have less reservations about it.

So those were the health benefits but when reading that list, am I able to capture what it will taste like? Honestly I would not be able to myself, but I feel that consumers would go off the same assumption that I did. Which was the assumption that it will taste mostly like black tea and a hint of fall overall. Especially with the added hibiscus, apple, and orange to a tea that is called a pumpkin patch.

Smell.

We all know that smell is an important part of tea drinking and consuming as a whole. So how does this tea smell? When I smell it do I think of a pumpkin patch, of which I have been to a handful? Or do I think of something else entirely lets get into it!

Suffice it to say, this has a rather unique smell. Of all the several types of black teas I have tried in the past, it definitely has that same, somewhat strong and almost bitter smell of black tea to it. The type of smell that makes you think that it is a highly caffeinated drink with no sweetener added. Although, the after scent smells of a cinnamon and pumpkin smell. This is a delightful surprise, and I am quite happy that the apple and the orange are not as apparent in the smell of this tea, because I did not want this to be a sweet tea in the slightest! It reminds me of the times we would go pick out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch to carve and make a pumpkin pie out of. I am teleported back to the days where I am stepping out of my parents or grandparents vehicles into a dirt patch on with some small rubber boots on. Gazing at the wide open expanse of the fields ahead of me dotted with spots of orange and white. Because of that this blend gets an approval by me for its smell.

Taste.

What is probably the most important part of any drink or food. If the taste does not hold up, or is not palatable by any means, then the health benefits do not matter. Most of the benefits are from continued consumption, and one will be dissuaded from having another cup if the taste is too astringent. I will be grading it with a curve, since their website had recommendations for me that I did not take however. So how does it taste without sugar and milk?

I have to say that it is an interesting taste. This tea tastes very much of black tea. I have had over-brewed tea before, and this is not bitter because of that. Tannins making a tea bitter from over brewing are incredibly aggressive and very off putting. Black tea is often recommended to have milk and sugar because of the simple fact that black tea is bitter even when brewed correctly. It is a type of bitter that is not too offensive, and in this cup I can actually prefer. I like the subtle hints of cinnamon and pumpkin, but I can also taste a small hint of the orange in there as well. The Hibiscus is no where to be seen, which is a tad sad, but with how aggressive black teas are I expected as much. This is easily a tea that I could drink again, and is a great source of caffeine, as well as other health benefits. Provided you do not overdo the sugar or the milk in your particular blend.

Closing remarks and score.

How would I score this tea out of 10? If I had to give it a score basaed on everything provided above, without sugar and milk it would be a 7/10. I am normally more of a white or green tea sort of person, but there are times I can really enjoy the strength a black tea brings with it. So if you are a fan of black tea I highly recommend this blend.

Thank you all for reading today’s post! I know that it had been a while since my last one, but a much needed break helped me to feel a lot more refreshed. I hope you are all looking forward to this weeks vtuber spotlight, as I am excited to write it. I hope to see you all next time, and if you like my content please follow me here or on twitter. I post updates to my schedule over on twitter as well as interact with everyone over there. Till next time!!