Stories Behind the Blend: Pumpkin Moonshine

September 17, 2026

There are certain traditions that make fall feel like fall. For our family, one of those has always been a trip to the local pumpkin farm. Maybe it's the first hint of cooler weather, the bright orange pumpkins piled everywhere, or simply the excitement of returning to a place we only visit once a year. Whatever it is, a day at the pumpkin patch has a way of making it feel like fall has officially arrived.

The grandparents first check and triple-check the date, making sure every member of our family will be able to attend. In a big family, this is no small feat! Then we pile everyone together and head out for the full pumpkin-patch experience. We take the hayride, wander through rows of pumpkins looking for just the right ones, visit the farm animals, swing on the tire swings, play in the corn cribs, and soak up as much of that crisp fall atmosphere as we can. It's one of those simple traditions we return to year after year, and eventually, it even became part of the inspiration for one of our favorite seasonal teas.

After all, when you spend your autumn surrounded by beautiful, locally grown pumpkins, you start wondering what they might taste like in a cup of tea.

From the Pumpkin Patch to the Teacup

When we began dreaming up a tea for the fall season, we knew we wanted it to capture more than just the familiar spices associated with autumn. We wanted to use the real thing.

Local sweet Georgia Roaster pumpkins became the heart of Pumpkin Moonshine, adding a creamy, malty richness that pairs beautifully with a base of Ceylon black tea. From there, we began layering in the flavors we associate with cool autumn days: warming ginger and cinnamon, fragrant cloves, bright orange rind, star anise, licorice, black pepper, and calendula.

The result is warm and spiced without losing the character of the tea itself. The pumpkin gives the blend a comforting depth, while citrus adds a little brightness to all those familiar autumn spices. Star anise and licorice round everything out with a subtle natural sweetness. It tastes like fall, but the story behind its name might be our favorite part.

Why "Pumpkin Moonshine"?

First, we should probably clear up one of the questions the name tends to inspire: No, there isn't actually any moonshine in Pumpkin Moonshine. You'll have to visit somewhere other than the tea shop for that kind of fall beverage!

Long before Piper & Leaf existed, both of our families shared a love for the work of author and illustrator Tasha Tudor. Her beautiful artwork and old-fashioned way of depicting family life, gardens, traditions, and the changing seasons have inspired many little pieces of Piper & Leaf over the years. So when we created a pumpkin tea, there really wasn't much debate over what we should call it.

Pumpkin Moonshine was inspired by Tasha Tudor's classic picture book of the same name. The story follows a little girl named Sylvie Ann as she sets out to find a pumpkin to make into a "pumpkin moonshine"—an old-fashioned name for a jack-o'-lantern.

There's something wonderfully nostalgic about that phrase. It brings to mind glowing jack-o'-lanterns on dark October evenings, pumpkins gathered from the field, fallen leaves, chilly nights, and all the mystery and excitement that seemed to surround fall when we were children. That was exactly the feeling we wanted this tea to capture.

A Little Old-Fashioned Autumn in Your Cup

So much of what inspires our blends comes from the things we already love: family traditions, local farms, Southern gardens, old stories, and memories that have stayed with us through the years. Pumpkin Moonshine brings so many of those things together in one cup—from annual trips to the pumpkin patch and real pumpkin grown close to home to a beloved children's book and an artist whose work has inspired our family for years.

Because Pumpkin Moonshine begins with Ceylon black tea, it is caffeinated, making it just right for slow fall mornings, afternoons on the porch, or those first chilly evenings when you're finally ready to pull out a sweater.

To brew it at home, steep Pumpkin Moonshine in 212°F water for about 3½ minutes. Then settle in with a warm mug and enjoy a little taste of the season.

From pumpkin-patch afternoons to glowing jack-o'-lanterns after dark, Pumpkin Moonshine is our way of bottling up some of the best parts of autumn and putting them into your teacup. No tricks--just a delightful fall treat.