What Teas to Drink this Autumn

Autumn clearly calls for a warm cup of loose leaf tea.

The leaves are changing, your drive home is suddenly happening at sunset, and mornings are starting to feel a little chilly.  But, alas, this cup of tea can’t possibly be the Bella Coola you’ve been drinking all summer.  The change of seasons, along with its change of closets and leaves involves a whole changes of lifestyle.  If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed when you just thought you finally had this tea thing figured out, or are just looking for a few recommendations, here are a few teas which I personally think may brighten some of those lightly frosted mornings and early October evenings to come.  

Canandaigua Chill- If you tried Cranberry Apple last fall, try Canandaigua Chill this time around.  It has that same warm apple flavor which is an essential part of this time of year in this part of the world, but it also has a bit of strawberry and citrus, to round out the flavor, and a touch of cinnamon.  Try a warm cup of it as a lower-calorie alternative to cider.  And if you’re really looking for that Pumpkin Spice aesthetic, try mixing in a bit of nutmeg.

African Autumn Rooibos- This caffeine-free tea-relative is loaded with antioxidants, and has a very mild flavor, which is a little similar to that smell immediately after it rains.  This particular blend of it is flavored with cranberry and citrus.  A warm cup of it makes for a relaxing and reflective evening.  

Hot Cinnamon Spice- For everyone already counting down the days to Christmas (looking at you, every store already putting out decorations), it’s never too early for Hot Cinnamon Spice.  This simple black tea is packed with orange, cinnamon, and clove.  It is naturally very sweet without any added sweeteners, and very fragrant.  Some of our customers have described it as, “a cup full of Christmas.”  If you're at all worried about the caffeine, we also have this tea in caffeien free.  

Heaven Sent Chai- This Indian Chai tea is traditionally served with a great deal of milk in it, giving it a spiced flavor without actually making it spicy.  The spices in this tea are a rich bouquet of cinnamon, cardamom and clove.  This is a particularly accessible chai, not to spicy, and not too unusual.  It’s excellent for any new tea drinker who still prefers something sweet and savory to something more complex and obscure.  

Lapsang and Russian Country- This is the tea you drink on a brisk morning, sitting on the front porch and staring dramatically into that browning field across the street.  Russian Country is a blend of black teas, one of which is Lapsang Souchong.  Lapsang itself is a powerfully smoky tea, and Russian Country offers a similar but somewhat toned-down taste of campfire.  Most people whom I’ve found to enjoy this tea, tend to be very serious folk, but it a way which still leaves room for a flair for the dramatic, albeit a serious style of drama, much like the tea itself.  Though this tea was never mentioned in the original text, it’s been generally accepted into the canon that this was the tea that Sherlock Holmes drinks.  Enjoy it alongside a weighty old book, alone and late at night in whatever space you’ve claimed as your study.  

Paris- I’ve personally been drinking this one almost non-stop for the past few weeks.  This black tea is flavored with bergamot, caramel, and vanilla, and makes for a very sophisticated cup.  Bergamot was originally added to standard to low-quality black teas, as a way of faking the flavor of an extremely nice black tea.  However, people liked them so much that the tradition stayed, even after the secret was out.  This tea, in a lot of ways, is similar to a black turtleneck sweater.  Both express the idea of being unreachably sophisticated and expensive, while actually being very accessible.  Both will keep you warm while you insist on sitting outside at the patio table in spite of the chill.  Both fit perfectly into the lifestyle and aesthetic of the artist, someone who is willing to take the time to do things right, and also sees everything they do as a metaphor.  

Dragonwell- If you’re not about seeing actions as a metaphor or drinking a weird tea for the aesthetic value, but rather, just want something warm, delicious and healthy, Dragonwell might be a better fit for you.  It’s flavor comes across as a little richer and headier than other green teas, making it perfect for fall.  

Scottish Caramel Puehr- This is a somewhat indulgent black tea.  Puehrs are fermented black teas, and have a rich flavor and dark color similar to that of coffee, but somewhat less bitter.  The caramel of this tea makes it very sweet, in addition to being full-flavored and rich.  Drinking it feels a little bit like counting a particularly dark chocolate as healthy, because it’s full of antioxidants.  However, because this is a tea, it still has almost no calories, so it actually is healthy.  We recommend it with a little milk, to make it feel truly indulgent.  

If you have your own favorite fall tea, we’d love to hear about it in the comments below.  Regardless of whether you switch entirely to warm fall tea, try brewing your summer teas hot, or simply keep making your summer iced tea, we wish you the best of luck as you continue on with your tea journey!  

If you want to put a little heat into your romance this fall read this blog post.

Check out the teas mentioned above here!