Cinnamon and Spice and Tea That’s Nice

Cinnamon and Spice and Tea That’s Nice

Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea For a while I was spending more time at the local Starbucks, having discovered that I really liked the Oprah Chai Brewed Tea for its powerful cinnamon flavor. Even though it has no sugar, the combination of spices makes it TASTE delightfully sweet in a not very subtle way. I love it. Recently, though, I’ve only been able to get their new Oprah Chai Herbal Blend, which has a more nuanced mix of cinnamon and other herbs, but I just don’t like it as much. The barristas at my local Starbucks seem to think the good stuff is discontinued.

I complained about the cinnamon teapocalypse to my friend Kate, who is knowledgeable about such things, and she mentioned that there was a really good cinnamon tea available at, off all places, Barnes & Noble. So I went down there and asked about it at their in-house cafe (ironically, also a Starbucks), and they directed me to the Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice, which was just as good. It certainly was a lot cheaper even at a premium tea price ($10.95 for 30 sachets, versus $3.00 for a single Starbucks Grande). I’m pretty much hooked on the stuff now.

Harney and Sons Hot Cinnamon TinA treasure!The sachets

I’ve never bought fancy tea before in these sachet things; is there some kind of “tea hook” gadget to fish them out of your cup? Harney & Sons also sells the loose tea from their website which is a bit more economical. I am thinking of visiting the local Teavana store in the mall to see if they have something similar; they’re the company (owned by Starbucks) that worked up the original Oprah cinnamon blend, so maybe they have it there.

7 Comments

  1. Anna 9 years ago

    They carry Harney & Sons at my local Target at about $6 for a 20 sachet tin, which is slightly better than the B&N price (and more convenient for me than Teavana). I have a lovely little tetsubin teapot that holds two cups of tea, and five minutes with one sachet is perfect for the Cinnamon Spice – and I unashamedly drink both cups if no one is around to share. I leave the tag on the edge of the pot so I don’t have to fish the thing out. :)

  2. Al Briggs 9 years ago

    Hey Dave, just use the string to pull the bags out!

    Wrap the string and tuck the label under it around the handle before you put the hot water in. ;)

  3. Author
    Dave Seah 9 years ago

    Anna: Oh, thanks for those tips! I have just been dumping the satchet in a giant mug. I’ll check Target too.

    Al: Ohhhh. The label was stuck to the sachet, and I didn’t realize I could just yank it off! The mysteries of tea :-)

  4. penny 9 years ago

    Yes Harney! They are wonderful people and have found and blended many wonderful teas. If you ever get down to NYC, they have a delightful little cafe in Soho… and we’ll get you down the wonderful rabbit hole of loose tea. :)

  5. jody diamond 9 years ago

    Dear Dave,

    Your cinnamon dreams are about to blast off for the moon! For a cinnamon experience that is amazing in flavor and texture, do the following.

    • First, buy celestial seasons cinnamon apple spice tea (the bags have neither staples nor labels).
    • Then, buy some actual cinnamon sticks, which can often be purchased in bulk at some markets; in “spice aisles” you’ll find large jars of cinnamon sticks, but perhaps not as fresh.
    1. Boil some water; about a quart.
    2. Put the water in a pitcher or carafe, one that can take hot as well as cold.
    3. Put 4 bags of the tea in the hot water.
    4. Put 4 cinnamon sticks in the water.
    5. Let it all steep for a while.

    To make iced cinnamon tea, put the pitcher in the refrigerator, and later pour some over a glass of ice cubes. To use it as a concentrate for hot tea, let it steep for a while, and then use 1/2 cup tea to 1/2 cup hot water. These proportions (tea bags, sticks, how long to wait, water to concentrate whether hot or iced) can be varied; you should experiment to find what you like.

    For me, the best part is that the tea has a strong flavor, and the cinnamon sticks change the texture of the water to velvet, much more substantial than when made with water alone.

    I hope you like this Dave. Thanks for everything you do for us! jd medford/cambridge, MA

  6. Author
    Dave Seah 9 years ago

    Jody: Wow, that sounds amazing!!! I happen to have some cinnamon sticks from an Asian market that I bought to make a certain kind of braised pork dish (way too many), so I’ll definitely give this a try and document it!

  7. Clay 9 years ago

    I realize I’m late to the party with this comment, but wanted to share nonetheless. My wife recently took a trip to Seattle and bought back some of this tea on recommendations from those in the market. The cinnamon-orange tea from MarketSpice Tea hits high on the sweetness scale without the sugar. I definitely recommend!

    http://www.marketspice.com/store/category/everything-cinnamon-orange