Drinking this Hot Mama tea feels like dancing to a Beyoncé song while Ryan Gosling winks a “Hey Girl” at you. If I had to start every day the same way, it would be with this kind of delicious affirmation.
I was interested at first sight of the heart decorations and brewed this up hot and also cold because I wasn’t sure if the candy hearts would melt or not and it turned out well both ways. (They didn’t melt, surprisingly!) I generally add a good amount of honey to my tea but this was the first time EVER I didn’t add any sweetener to a tea and LOVED it. While both styles were delicious, I preferred the overnight cold brew because the warm cinnamon taste was instantly cooled by the chilled water.
I’m on their website to ordering more right now! It looks like they offer plenty of eye-catching teas to start your day lightheartedly. Mornings are hard enough to get through with a boring drink.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Tea & Tins
Description
Loose leaf black tea, super hot and spicy! For cinnamon lovers!
Ingredients: black tea, cinnamon, spices, peppercorns and cinnamon hearts
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea by New Mexico Tea Company
I steeped 1 tsp of this tea for 5 minutes in one cup of 212 degree water.
First of all, this tea isn’t kidding when it says “hot.” (Currently I’m able to smell the cinnamon flavor through the bag even though I double-bagged it, which means it has about the same strength as lapsang souchong). You can clearly see, when measuring it out, that there’s tons of cinnamon in the tea leaves. The ingredients list says it has natural and artificial flavorings too in addition to the three types of cinnamon–I didn’t know three types of cinnamon existed, did you? But apparently they do.
I don’t expect the black tea flavor to come through much at all at this point (it’s probably mainly there for caffeination purposes.)
It smells very spicy and strong as it steeps, too. After steeping I note that it has a very dark brown, fittingly cinnamon-ish color. It’s nearly opaque and has bits of dissolved cinnamon in it. Kind of like spiced cider. It also has a faintly sweet cider-ish smell, but of coursewithout the apple factor. (It does have clove and orange peel though, so that’s probably why it’s reminding me of cider.)
First sip: yes, it’s quite sweet and quite spicy. And no, I don’t really taste the black tea at all. There is a slight bit of astringency, but I’m not sure if it’s from the black tea or from the cinnamon. There’s a depth to the cinnamon flavor, which is probably caused by the blending of several types of cinnamon and cinnamon flavorings to create a more complex cinnamon blend rather than one that hits you all in a wave. It’s very effective, too. It’s like a tour of cinnamon.
With milk (no sugar needed as it’s already sweet): it’s creamier, of course, but the milk doesn’t really bring out the tea flavor the way it usually does with spicy teas (though maybe there’s a hint). The excellently warming, invigorating cinnamon flavor isn’t quelled by the milk either, though perhaps a bit tamed.
Overall I like this tea very much both with milk and without. I’d recommend trying it both ways to see which strikes your fancy the most.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: New Mexico Tea Company
Description
.This blend brews very sweet even though no sugar is added. A cinnamon lover’s dream come true. A combination of hearty Chinese and Indian black tea and invigorating cinnamon.
Many cinnamon teas have a watery aftertaste due to the use of low grade teas. The black tea here has the stamina to last through the whole tasting process
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot – Hot Mama from Tea and Tins
Cinnamon comes in two common forms when it comes to tea. There’s the natural, cinnamon-stick flavor, which is warm and spicy, and slightly floral, evoking the smell of baked-goods and breakfast.
And then there’s the cinnamon candy flavor, which is hot, hot, hot like flaming Fireball candies or like red cinnamon chewing gum. I like both kinds of cinnamon, natural and artificial, but I always find it helpful to know which kind of cinnamon I’m getting into before I take a sip.
Expecting one and tasting the other is not always a pleasant experience.
Let it be known: Hot Mama from Tea and Tins tastes like blazing cinnamon candy! Even double-sealed behind zip bags, I can smell the cinnamon in this tea buzzing into my nose when I walk by my tea shelf.
In the dry leaf or brewed, this tea tastes like Hot Tamale candies, warm in temperature and in sensation. As a fan of Hot Tamale and Fireball candies, I enjoy the saturated, artificial cinnamon taste of this tea and it feels marvelous down my dry throat on a cold winter day.
This is a perfect tea when you need something fierce and fiery. The cinnamon in this blend goes beyond the usual kick of chai spices. It’s so hot, it might rival some of the teas out there seasoned with hot chili spices.
Ay caramba!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Tea & Tins
Description:
Loose leaf black tea, super hot and spicy! For cinnamon lovers!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lola from Sicilian Tea Company. . . . .
Lola from Sicilian Tea Company. I can’t say it’s my FAVORITE tisane but what I can tell you is that I was pleasantly surprised by the aftertaste and I’m glad I was able to have a cup for that sole purpose. I know I am working a little bit backwards here but let me tell you why…
The ingredients in Lola from Sicilian Tea Company are Red Rooibos, Cinnamon, Licorice, and Lavender. I sometimes find companies are overusing red Rooibos the last few years in often mediocre flavor combinations which leave the flavor unmemorable or just don’t seem to jive with my own personal palate. When I saw the additional ingredients within this Rooibos I thought I would give it a try – although – I’m not overly fond of licorice in teas or tisanes – and seem to be hot and cold when it comes to the use of Lavender in tisanes and teas, too!
Having said that…this tea was alright. While it wasn’t my most favorite or favorites upfront while sipping it – my delight was more in the aftertaste and the linger of it all.
All of the ingredients were blended well in this offering. Nothing was too over powering and especially when it came to the Licorice and Lavender I was thrilled that it wasn’t.
The aftertaste is what caught my attention. It lingered nicely. The cinnamon was warming – as was the Licorice. The Licorice offered a subtle sweetness but it didn’t give off a weird aftertaste either. The Lavender seemed to smooth it out and hinted at a bit of floral goodness.
I found this to be very good after a meal or as a treat in the evening! Because Sicilian Tea Company had a winner with this ballsy flavor combo I’m interested in trying more of their offerings! Kudos!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Sicilian Tea Company
Description
Lola is a sweet treat that’s safe to have before bedtime. South African Red Rooibos is rich in antioxidants. Organic lavender, licorice root and cinnamon make for a yummy treat (without the guilt).
Brew at least twice to get the most out of your blend.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Black Ruby from Terroir Tea Merchant. . . .
Today is one of those days where I need all the caffeine to keep going. I literally bring a tote bag full of tea wherever I go so I dug into my lovely portable tea stash and landed on this lovely option.
Black Ruby from Terroir Tea Merchant is a black tea described as having a smooth, sweet, and cinnamon mint flavor. That description alone peaked my interest. I’ve tried a few offerings from Terroir Tea Merchant and I have to say, even though I typically reach for flavored teas, they’ve even turned my head and made me re-think my mostly flavored tea stash and possibly add in more straight teas.
Brewed up with fresh prepped water, I accidentally allowed this tea to steep a bit to long. Recommendations called for 3 minutes and I think the tea steeped about 5 (at work and failed to multi-task properly).
I will say this tea had gorgeous cinnamon notes going in to steep but has an incredibly strong malty flavor. Even though I did steep the tea longer than I should have the flavors were stop on with a slight twinge of astringency (which is totally my fault). This tea is one of those that gives you that whole mouth feel and demands your attention. I can’t say that I picked up any hints of mint, the cinnamon was present. Combine that flavor and the malty tone, you’ve got yourself one heck of a cuppa tea.
I think I have enough in my sample to brew up another cuppa properly and this time I’ll pay closer attention to my steeping parameters. I’m hoping with a bit of patience, I can draw those minty notes out because a cinnamon mint tea just sounds so darn interesting!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Terroir Tea Merchant
Description
cinnamon and mint flavour. This tea is guaranteed to excite even the most jaded taste buds. Flavour: Cinnamon, mint and malt sugar
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
