Sweet & Spicy

Digging through the tea cabinet and trying to clean out. A friend gifted this one to me in a holiday mug last December. Managed to have a few quiet sips before the rest of the house started their day. I steeped it for a long time as there was a fish tank mishap and then a dog needing attention.
For some reason, I saw the word spicy and couldn’t figure out what the spice could be. When I opened the packet, it was very clear. The cinnamon is the most prevalent scent and flavor. I don’t detect any orange or citrusy flavors. It is quite sweet, definitely no added sweeteners needed.
I did just check out their website. Wonder if the company is struggling. Most of the teas on there are sold out and commentors indicate this has been the case for months.

I’ve made an impact on the tea stash this week and working on the last bag from the tea swap months ago. I’ve been trying to avoid cleaning these out too quickly, but it’s time to accept that they are a part of the tea sipdown pile and they must be sipped! It’s cold(er) and rainy today in NE Ohio. I’ve been spoiled with daily walks across the street at the park until today. However, I shall get my fix by heading to the grocery stores before work. I want to take advantage of the weekend, whenever it arrives, and enjoy my time working on yardwork and binge watching the remainder of the Fallout tv series.

A work friend gave me thjis tea bag to try. The cinnamon really comes through nicely with hints of chai. I did not detect any orange or mint. I would drink again but not buy for myself.

I went to Walmart yesterday and picked up a box of this tea. It’s ridiculous how fixated I was on this tea. But I was very happy to have a cup last night. I love this tea!

I was talking to a gal at work and she said she’s had it but doesn’t like it. The cinnamon is too strong for her and it gives her mouth a dry feeling. I get that. It is really heavy on the cinnamon. But it is also naturally sweet, and I love that.

I like this caffeine-free blend a lot more than the Sweet & Spicy Good Night. In that blend, I don’t think I like the mix of dragonfruit flavoring with that strong Big Red cinnamon flavor that’s also present in this tea. This one is also not nearly as drying even with a longer steep time.

Sweet and cinnamon spicy. As for the other ingredients, I can’t pick up on them individually probably because they’re overridden by the cinnamon flavor. Regardless, they seem well blended. This tea is a lot like Celestial Seasoning’s Bengal Spice but tastes… deeper? and fresher.

This is by far my favorite tea! It was the first I bought when trying to get into tea. The smells of the spices are intense, and fantastic! When brewed hot for over 3 minutes, the spices and the sugar come out in unison, and make the end result taste like a spiced sweet tea!

I received this Good Earth Sweet & Spicy herbal tea as a Christmas gift for Christmas 2016. Teabags were sealed, but I could smell an intense sweet cinnamon aroma through the foil wrapper. :-) Each teabag has a quote on the tag, which makes for a more interesting tea experience right out of the gate. My first cup was sampled without knowing all the ingredients.

Ingredients:

Rooibos, chicory root, natural flavor, rosehip, cinnamon, lemongrass, peppermint, chamomile, ginger root, anise seed, orange oil, orange peel.

“For the concert of life, no one receives a program.” —Dutch Proverb

Once opened, the aroma permeated my nose and the kitchen immediately! Seriously, what an Amazing Cinnamon Aroma!! There is no way I could discern all the ingredients, but in the dry bag I did smell the cinnamon right away, followed by peppermint. What was that third main ingredient? YES!! Chicory, that’s it! In the wet leaves I mainly smelled cinnamon & chicory, with a lesser peppermint presence. Cup aroma was quite refreshing with a real sweetness, and a strong burst of cinnamon, mixing very well with the chicory root. The mint was swallowed by the other two aromas, and was barely—if at all—noticeable. My palate came alive with an intense cinnamon flavor!! WOW!! What a spicy kick! :D The chicory root was right along in flavorful tandem with the cinnamon! The mint was only slightly noticeable at the back of my tongue after swishing the tea and inhaling oxygen. After swallowing, the cinnamon & chicory rose up & clung to the back of my tongue and throat for several minutes!

“Every now and then, bite off more than you can chew.” —Kobi Yamada

I had a second cup on January 24—my Godchild Chloe’s 15th Birthday!! :D Roughly 8 oz of water, at 195 degrees, for 3.5 minutes. After reading the ingredients, the dry bag aromas changed somewhat, but these aromas were true to what I smelled. Intense cinnamon & chicory root, and YES, definitely the rosehips came through—neck & neck with the chicory, while the mint & lemongrass honestly seemed shy, thus taking a back seat. Similar sensory observations in the wet leaf aromas were noted, which were less intense all around compared to the dry leaf. Cup aromas are lively cinnamon & chicory root, as well as rosehips, while the mint was drowned out by the other three scents. Cup color was also hued a pleasant red—reddish brown. The tea’s flavor profile exhibited similar intensities (as in cup #1) on my palate and at the back of my tongue/throat. The rosehips definitely played on my palate as well, lightly taming the vigor of the cinnamon & chicory, and added a sweet smoothing aspect to the tea experience.

Good Earth Sweet & Spicy herbal tea, is definitely very flavorful & delicious!! A definite Christmas tea in the future. It is so flavorful, I could drink it anytime! Quite possibly the best herbal tea I’ve tasted—I really do like spicy teas. :-) I’m sure Chloe would appreciate this tea as well. :-)

Cupped: Tuesday, January 10 & 24, 2017. Reviewed: Sunday, January 29, 2017.

This is like an orange caught on fire and someone dumped a cinnamon-licorice mint julep on it to put it out. The friend who gave this to me is a horrible monster.

THAT SAID…
I am sending a sample of this to mtchyg because I am essentially his sassy and difficult little sister. “HERE TRY THIS HORRIBLE THING” is frequently my approach to our friendship.

This is a flavored rooibos herbal in a bag. The first thing I noticed when tasting is the lack of that harsh scratchy woody rooibos taste. I don’t even smell it. I like that. It tastes predominantly of cinnamon. What little (by my standards) heat I catch I think is the ginger grabbing as the cinnamon passes by. There is orange, chamomile, and anise that add sweetness without calling much attention to themselves. The lemongrass is more fill in than a real note. I thought it was a fun cup

Dad is coming home today so thanks all for the prayers and support.

My sister gave me a bag of this and there were no instructions on it so I didn’t know how long to steep. It was very strong! I would probably add some extra water next time or steep it for a short time. I’ll have to try it again once I have the right directions.