Bengal Spice

Bengal Spice used to be my absolute favourite hot beverage; I brought boxes of it with me when I started university away from home. It was my comfort drink. Then things got busy, I “discovered” tea, and this was pushed to the back of the cupboard. Until now.

I went to check up on my mom, and she handed me her mug and said “I think I’m spoiled on pumpkin chai.. try this.” I never thought I’d be the type of person to say “blegh”. Just awful cinnamon cardboard water in milk. We both agreed to dump the rest of it down the sink.

Maybe.. the box had gone stale (better chuck out the box). I’d like to believe that but I think the truth is that it’s not for me (or my mother) anymore. I wish I could give this a higher rating, just for old times sake, but I’m afraid my face looked very similar to that red dude on the far left of the spectrum.

I don’t know WHAT got into me but something compulsed (did I just make up a word?) me to have this tea. I bargained with myself, I proposed other, better teas… I looked at the ingredients and saw cinnamon and vanilla “flavouring” and even still, nothing could persuade my fool craving away from indulging an unworthy tea!
This was my last bagged tea purchase(and love) before I went all looseleaf so it holds a special place in my cupboard but I’m not sure if that’s one of disdain or fond memories!
And ya know what? it has got to be my sentimentality kicking in but this is pretty darn good for a bagged tea. Smooth and chocolatey… caffeine free… maybe I won’t throw it out after all. The only part that really niggles at me is the “flavour” part in the ingredients. Ya just know that means it’s fake! *sighs

If you want cinnamon dust in a bag – this is your tea! For devoted fans of tea fannings and dust, you will not be disappointed! Let the exotic colors of the box mesmerize you into thinking you’re not in isle 7 of a mainstreet USA grocery store. Let the exotic pictures on the box transport you to a time when colored water with little-to-no taste was appreciated in more than just an oversized coffee mug with a happy face on it. Your imagination runs wild with the possibilities that someday this tea may join the legendary shelves of teas that carry a name recognized by legacy and grandeur. For now though, you’ll just have to settle for cinnamon-colored water. Dare to dream though! :)

I know I’m one of the only people on steepster that likes roasted chicory root. I also like this blend, which is pretty heavy on the cinnamon & ginger, nicely spicy, and thanks to the chicory it has enough depth to feel satisfying. I drank it in years, saw it on the shelf at the store, & because I’m trying to drink less caffeine in the evening, I figured, “What the heck, let’s get reacquainted”. And we did! Besides, I love the artwork on the box.

I recently moved into my new place, and my new roommate has a box of this so I thought I’d give it a go since she said I could help myself.

The first time I tried this the other day, I actually enjoyed it. I let it steep for about four or five minutes then took the bag out, and it was like liquid cinnamon heart candies. I don’t recall any other spice. If they’re there, then they’re clearly being drowned out by the cinnamon.

I thought I’d try it one more time now, and I left the tea bag in the water for longer, more like eight minutes, and boy, is it abrasive. It’s like I dumped a few teaspoons of cinnamon powder into my mug and swirled it around in the boiled water. It tastes a lot drier this time around, as it lost its candy sweetness. It’s also burning my lips this time.

Hey, I like spices, but this is a little too single note for my liking. Neither the nutmeg nor cardamom showed up to the party. I has a sad.

the only tea I’ve ever returned to the store. YUCK it stinks like a wet tiger.

You know, years ago, before the interwebs, when tea in this tiny dirtweed town was limited to the grocery store, I tried a box of something from CS that was good, it had a built-in sweetness, and I liked it, went back for a second box, and they’d discontinued it. I even called the company, but it was gone forever. Wish I knew what herb they used to make it sweet like that.

So I picked up a box of this junk and it was sincerely dreadful. Took it back to Safeway and never bought their stuff ever again. That was about 10 years ago, and I can’t believe this ‘tiger wee’ is still available, but my mystery blend isn’t. But then again, I might turn my nose up at it now… and I certainly would have to hide it if I had any, as I wouldn’t be caught dead with Celestial Seasoning in my kitchen

This smells so familiar somehow. It smells like my grandma’s home when I was younger, in a way. It smells like Christmas and horchata with my girlfriends. The teabags themselves don’t smell the most awesome, but brewed I think I’m going to enjoy this. I think that store teas get a bad rap. I actually enjoy most herbal store bought brands.
I think I’m in the “I enjoy roasted chicory club”. This is very calming. I was expecting more black pepper flavor for whatever reason, but it isn’t too evident. This is plenty sweet without adding anything, but reminds me of a chai base meant for milk. I really like this one!
More grocery store herbals for me!

My university wellness center stocks this in their lounge area/waiting room. It’s a sweet kind of spicy and reminds me of essentially every lotion I’ve ever worn in the fall, and every candle I’ve ever gravitated towards in the fall. It’s a really sweet cinnamon chai- and I’m not a huge fan of sweet cinnamon. You could probably just steep cinnamon in a tea strainer and get a similar cuppa.

Still, free tea, right? Yeah, ho hum. It did help my throat feel a little less congested.

Risengrød!
That’s what it reminds me of! Risengrød is something you get at christmas. Uhm, don’t know the english word for it, but it’s rice boiled in milk (?) covered by a layer of a blend of cinnamon and sugar. And a spoonfull of butter in the middel.

This smells exactly of risengrød – The cinnamon/sugar/butter combo.

The liquid is dark orange with a lot of dust in it. Fist sip taste exactly as expected, like risengrød without the rice. But this combo is very spicey!

Hmm.. 7 stars out of 10. But I rather drink it next winter.

I don’t know why I bought this, to be honest. I like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom — but it’s not like there’s a shortage of these flavors in my cupboard right now. And I usually loathe vanilla. But I bought it anyway in some payday-fueled grocery haze and gave it a shot. And you know what? It’s actually pretty good.

My favorite part was opening the box and getting a whiff of the scent. It smells delicious, and not a bit like vanilla, thank goodness. The spices are strong without being overwhelming, which is always nice. You can really taste the cloves, in a good way. And, while you taste the vanilla, too, it’s not strong enough to drown out the other flavors, just enough to give this a smoother, sweeter taste.

All in all, this is really good for a bagged tea. I will definitely buy it again.

I’m with the sentimental lot on this one AND I really like cinnamon- lots of cinnamon- so I actually like this tea, no matter how “not cool” that makes me in liking a bag tea from…wait for it….Celestial Seasonings. I am old enuf to remember these folks when every flap of the box had poetry and sayings all over it and they had maybe 55 different kinds of tea in outrageous arty boxes. If you’ve ever been to Boulder this all makes sense. If I need a cup of warmth late at night with NO CAFFEINE or dieting and want NO SUGAR ADDED this is still my go to cheater tea.

My bagged tea day are pretty well a thing of the passed but this one is still a favourite of mine. It’s a good caffeine free alternative to chai, with the cinnamon, cardomom, etc. flavours. It’s great with milk or as a tea latte. I shared some with my best friend’s daughter when she was 2 1/2. She called it “Tiger tea” because of the tiger on the box. And so Tiger tea shall forever be its name.

A few weeks ago I made up a short list of teas I wanted for autumn. This tea was on it. The fact that I wanted it is pretty remarkable considering my history with various chais. I try them pretty regular but hardly any merit a second purchase.

I ran out of this some time back and didn’t replenish it, probably because I was up to my eyebrows in lesser teas and was making myself drink them first. Then near the end of summer as I became open to new purchases, the local stores were running out of all the good teas including this one, so I had to make due without. Now they’re stocking up for fall and it’s available once more.
I opened my box this morning. The first whiff of those spices reminded me why I had bought it and made me chide myself for waiting so long to replace the last box. Cinnamon, of course, but with warm undertones of far more. Ginger, cardamom, a hint of something buttery. I read the label and smiled at the mention of carob—I’m allergic to chocolate so carob blends have a special place in my heart.
I drank it hot, a departure from my usual cold brewing method, and found that I like it both ways. No cream or sugar were added, though I’m sure they’d be good in it too. But like any good tea that makes my second purchase list, it could stand alone. Too often, they get so heavy handed with the cinnamon you can’t taste anything else. Not the case here. Yeah, it tasted like cinnamon, but there was far more going on in my cup. Plenty of other flavors balanced it into a wonderful autumn spice blend. It was a pleasantly spicy way to start my day.

Celestial Seasonings suggested this to me as a replacement for my beloved Cinnamon Rose tea. I looked at the box and thought “What the hey, Tiger” and then “Nope, looks like a chai.” However, I was at the grocery store with a coupon and celestial seasonings on sale, so I thought “why not? I like chai and this tea gets pretty good ratings.” Well, I tried it, and this is no not a chai. Maybe a cinnamon chai, but the cloves are playing a supporting role, and the cardamon has run off to hide from the wrath of all that cinnamon!

The tea is a typical celestial seasonings package – I like their dedication to minimal packaging. And I will say, they don’t skimp on the leaves. I was able to use only one bag in my large (14 oz) mug and it was plenty strong. The leaves smell dusty and strongly of cloves, which worried me – there are whole cloves in the bag that you can see when you take it out. I had a bad experience with Tazo Sweet Cinnamon Infusion, which was all cloves and licorice, so I am wary of spicy teas! I steeped it for 7 minutes in boiling water.

I took a sip of the unadulterated tea and immediately thought “Hot Cinnamon Spice.” The flavor is really similar to the Harney and Sons tea – it’s all cinnamon, so spicy that it has a little burn, with a great natural sweetness. It doesn’t have black tea, of course, which for me is an advantage, as I want spicy teas at night. I haven’t tried the herbal HCS, so I can’t say if this is similar, but I’d imagine it is after having both the black and green. There is more clove in Bengal Spice, but it’s nice – gives you a break from the cinnamon!

In the interest of comparison, I added 1/4 cup steamed milk and 2 packets of sweet and low. Here is where I was surprised – where HCS doesn’t take milk well (it kills the spiciness for me) this is great – it’s still spicy! My husband went out for Indian today, and came back asking me to make stovetop chai – I think he would like this one!

I’m really pleased to have made this supermarket discovery. This is the second Celestial Seasonings tea I’ve liked lately (I’m also loving Morning Thunder.) My Mom always had red zinger and Sleepytime in our cupboards, so I feel nostalgic when I see those cardboard boxes stacked up.

I’ve been drinking this tea for at least 15 years and I recently picked up a box again – it’s been so long! I really like it as an after dinner dessert tea with some soymilk. It reminds me of cinnamon toast and you certainly can’t beat the price. Unlike “chai” tea it is also gentler on my stomach.

I like this tea. Has a great spicy bite to it. Doesn’t fool around and play with your tastebuds but says CHAI TEA and then whispers….a sweet honey note on the end that I love. I drink without milk but would be fine either way. Not an iced tea candidate. Drink steeped for about 4 minutes.

This tea is mind-blowing. I just cannae get my heid roon’ it. The flavour is full, the colour is rich; it is smooth, refined and delicious. I enjoy anything that will take me away from myself, and this does exactly that with zero health risks. The clove is so potent it numbs the tongue, like thon red and white clove rock bits your gran used to give you on those long coach-trips. Cinnamon always goes well with me, and the natural sweetness (nae sugar in this mind) hits the spot. As a sage once said, ‘winter in a cup’. Great with or without milk, better with friends.

Y’know, for bagged herbal, it’s really not that bad. Because it’s so rich, I can’t drink too much at a time, but it’s not too bad. The in-laws bought me an entire case for some reason, and I’m slowly but surely working my way through it. Since I have yet to just give up and throw it all out, clearly they got something right.

Since it’s cheap and easy, it’s my go-to blend if I want to drink a tea/herbal in the shower. No, really. Drinking tea in the shower is THE BEST.

This has become one of my all time favorite hot drinks. I’d call it tea, but it really isn’t. It’s a cinnamon-spicy drink that has a lot of bite to it, and makes your house smell awesome as well. I don’t bother taking the tea bag out, by the time you get to the bottom, you can literally feel the hot tingle of cinnamon on your tongue. I know there are plenty that are too snobby for tea bags, especially inexpensive ones, but this is such a fun drink. It starts out sweet and spicy (this tea already tastes very sweet, I see no reason to add sweetener) and ends with a spicy punch. After drinking it in the morning, I can feel the spice all the way to work. I absolutely love it.

Alright, I’m up finishing homework tonight and decided that I would make some chai. I am out of loose leaf, but I had this and thought it might taste good. I boiled 1 cup of water and dissolved 1.5 Tb of brown sugar. I added 2 bags of Bengal Spice and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes. Then I added 1 cup of skim milk and stirred it all together for 3 minutes at a simmer. It smells amazing – very spicy and like burnt caramel…yum. My whole apartment smells like this, it is a wonder the smell didn’t wake my husband up!

Okay, I put this in a cup and tried it….EEEK!! This tea is so heavy on the cinnamon it is crazy. This didn’t fill my cup up much because a lot of the water evaporated, so I added about another cup of milk to my cup. Much better. It is a cold drink, but that is fine. It is pretty good and worth it for the amount of work it takes.