6 Teas to Drink During Fall
Some autumn drinks are better as an occasional treat, but here are the hot teas and herbal infusions to enjoy every day of fall so you can revel in the flavors of the season without getting a sugar rush.
In a season dominated by the oh-so-sweet Pumpkin Spice Latte, teas can tend to be an afterthought. But coffee isn’t the only hot drink in town. Maybe it’s time to share the limelight with other beverages that warm the soul as the year begins to die, and that daily hot cup of comfort becomes a cozy companion for sweater-weather season.
Turning our attention to tea, then, the collection below takes a look at six teas that I personally have in my cupboard at home. They are widely available and represent a daily, more common celebration of the season rather than a special treat one might get at the coffee shop. After all, fall should be celebrated every day, and every-day-tea isn’t calorie rich or overly sweet. This curation of chilly weather teas are also diverse in type since it’s also not every time of day where only one kind of tea is called for. A highly caffeinated black tea hardly makes for a good night cap the way a cup of herbal tea can. Here, then, are are six varied cuppas that all bring a different flourish to fall, even if they aren’t the usual suspects promoted at your local cafe.
EMPEROR’S PU-ERH from NUMI
Pu-erh tea is a fermented, highly caffeinated black tea. Numi’s organic Emperor’s Pu-Erh is a single origin pu-erh from China’s Yunnan Province, the tea’s traditional origin. The fermentation is a 60-day process and gives this tea an earthy depth of flavor, rich and malty, and faintly like mushrooms. It brews a medium-bodied, satisfying cup that drinks best unadorned with any added flavors, sweeteners, or milks. This is a great rainy day tea for those chilly autumn drizzles. It invites thoughtful invigoration via a rich cup cultivated from the ancient and wild tea trees from which it was grown.
ORGANIC ROOIBOS CHAI from EQUAL EXCHANGE
Practically all of the rooibos in the entire world is grown and harvested in a single region in western South Africa. Like many herbal “teas” it’s not really tea at all. But it’s long been a drink enjoyed as a healthier alternative to tea and coffee that still has a robust flavor profile. It’s the perfect evening tea any time of year, but since the rust-red fermented needles harmonize so well with added ingredients to the brew, a spiced chai with earthy rooibos makes for an indulgent joy in this autumnal season. Equal Exchange’s Organic Rooibos Chai is balanced and festive. A splash of milk, perhaps a drop of vanilla, and whatever sweetening agent you like makes a delicious afternoon tea.
LAPSANG SOUCHONG from TWININGS
Sometimes ancient things that have been around long enough to become legends of themselves can still be a fresh, new discovery to each person trying it for the first time. Recently I took the dare as printed on the packaging of this tea from a company—Twinings of London—that is older than the United States itself, offering a tea that is still a century or two older than that. Lapsang souchong is a smoked black tea; dried by the smoke of a pine fire. Woodsy and pungent, this tea dates back to the 1600s, originating in the Fujian Province in China. Lapsang souchong is a savory tea and it tends to not play well with friends (sugar or milk). But because of its distinctive smokiness and aroma—helped by its high caffeine level—this tea stands alone quite competently, and is a welcome companion for cold fall hikes or long drives of peeping leaves and taking in the natural splendor of the season.
GUNPOWDER GREEN from NUMI
Green tea doesn’t necessarily come to mind with the harvest season’s typical profile of flavors, but a good gunpowder green tea bridges that divide handily, and here’s the reason why: it’s roasted! And isn’t the general rule of fall, when the sun starts to sleep-in and the mornings begin pale and frosty, to eat and drink everything roasted? This tea, in which full leaves are roasted and rolled into pearls, brews a slightly vegetal but satisfyingly mellow cup. The result is a pleasingly smooth mouthfeel and a sturdy enough body that can hold its own in a season dominated by robust flavors. This green can easily welcome a splash of milk as well, though because it is so smooth, it doesn’t need it to remove any bitter edge.
ROASTAROMA from CELESTIAL SEASONINGS
Roasted barley and chicory have long been reliable coffee alternatives for those looking to enjoy a roasted, nutty beverage without the caffeine of the coffee bean. As such, many variations of roasted barley or chicory beverages come in powder form to mimic, I imagine, instant coffee. But the blendmasters at Celestial Seasonings take those two mainstays and add roasted carob—imparting a malty sweet hint of chocolate—along with cinnamon and other spices. The result is a tea that gently sweetens the longer you steep it, and brews a warm and enticing cup with complexity and depth for those chilly autumn evenings when you want to sidle up to a jigsaw puzzle or get lost in a cozy mystery. Roastaroma can hold its own with added sweet and cream, but its full array of flavors are more pronounced when brewed with freshly boiled water and enjoyed “as is” while it cools.
ORANGE & CINNAMON SPICE from TWININGS
Twining’s Orange & Cinnamon Spice is a rooibos-based herbal blend well suited to sip during the dying autumn as the season transitions into properly cold weather and Halloween cobwebs are replaced with holly and mistletoe. As with most teas and herbal infusions that have cinnamon, there is a soft and subtle sweetness that comes from a longer steep along with the warming spice. So feel free to leave the bag in the mug until you’ve drained it. As is also the case with many citrus and spice infusions, the aroma is half the pleasure. Sipping this refreshing herbal tea brings with it an aroma that envelopes you and fills the room, and does not disappoint in that regard.
Given its ability to comfort and nourish, as well as to invite company and inspire conversation, it’s no surprise that tea is the most popular beverage in the world, the kind of cup one turns to several times a day. And while I drink tea almost every day throughout the year, for me, tea season definitely begins with the fall and the changing of the leaves. What teas do you turn to this time of year? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Perhaps over a fresh brew?
