Thursday, January 30, 2014

Tea tasting: Harney & Sons' Hot Cinnamon Spice

Do you like cinnamon?  A lot?  Do you like the intense, spicy flavors of Indian or Middle Eastern food?  Then Harney & Sons' Hot Cinnamon Spice tea (https://www.harney.com/hot-cinnamon-spice-tea.html) is for you.

This is a bold, assertive tea.  Hot Cinnamon Spice is a blend of black tea, three types of cinnamon, orange peel, and sweet cloves.  No sugar has been added and even +Robert Peterson , most avid fan of Texas sweet tea, finds that no sugar is needed.  It's incredibly cinnamon-y -- the aroma almost knocks you down and takes your lunch money.  It's got a spicy bite over the top of the tea flavor.  This is not a gentle, soothing drink. It's a late afternoon or after dinner pick-me-up.

For me, drinking this tea is very much a mood thing.  I'm not always in the mood to have three types of cinnamon take my lunch money.  I can get the same flavors, in different and far gentler proportions, from Harney & Sons' Holiday tea blend (https://www.harney.com/hrp-holiday-tea.html).  By and large, I prefer the more gingerbread-like flavors of the Holiday tea, which incorporates almonds and uses a far lighter hand with the cinnamon.  But for nights when I am working late, or when I need to drive home tired after a late-night dinner, Hot Cinnamon Spice can be a great, energizing, pick-me up.  It comes in both regular and decaf, but I honestly can't see the point of drinking this in decaf form.

I'm not a huge fan of Indian food, but I imagine the Hot Cinnamon Spice would go exceptionally well with it.   It goes really well with steak dinners, for sure.

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