Hot Cinnamon Sunset

I need more tea like a hole in the head but I found myself unable to resist when I saw this at Target. I have some tea bags of varying qualities, and I usually save them for when I am doing house sitting gigs and want to keep my tea as simple as possible.

But, this tea might convince me to invest in good sachet bags more often. It is a bit citrussy but basically cinnamon overload which is exactly how I like it. Red hots in a tea. I see lots more of this in my future, and the awesome tin is a bonus.

I’m starting my Harney and Sons tribute day with some Hot Cinnamon Sunset- my first H&S tea. This might have actually been my first non-Lipton hot tea. My mom gave it to me for some holiday or other when I was working on my Bachelor’s degree and it was my go-to tea (especially for studying!) for most of undergrad. Good memories :-). I kind of burnt myself out on it, so I haven’t had it in FOREVER and I forgot how delicious it is! This is my kind of cinnamon tea. It’s like “hey, here’s some delicious cinnamon for you to enjoy along with some cloves and oranges” rather than clubbing me over the head while screaming “CINNAMON!” like most cinnamon teas. It’s also a very forgiving tea. I used to abuse it with improper steeping conditions on a regular basis. Here’s to you, Mr. Harney! My condolences to the Harney family.

Super nice – with lots of flavour and not too much fire so I can appreciate it even when sick (as I am). Cinnamon is a wonderful spice, I can’t get enough of it. Would also like to say that I got this in the tagalong format (little tin boxes of 5 sachets that H&S sells) and it’s super handy to put in a bag and have tea on the go wherever boiling water is available.

Somewhat confusingly, Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset appears to be the same tea as Hot Cinnamon Spice. Since my tin reads “Sunset”, I’ll place my tasting note here.

To my palate and nose, this vibrant black-tea blend is basically indistinguishable from the original Good Earth. I was unable to confirm my impression this afternoon, as my bags of Good Earth are no longer any good—must be the cinnamon oil which turned rancid. What I can say is that Hot Cinnamon Sunset evokes all sorts of memories from my afternoons drinking many glasses of this tea at the Good Earth restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. That was a long time ago, and since then the restaurant has changed names a few times and may no longer even exist for all I know.

The key word here is cinnamon, and the key ingredient can only be cinnamon oil. That’s what you get when you squeeze cinnamon until it cannot be squeezed anymore, and it is by far the strongest source of pure cinnamon flavor. The blend also contains orange rind and cloves, but cinnamon definitely dominates, making this tea a cinnamon-lovers dream come true!

One reason why I always liked the original Good Earth was because it is naturally sweet. It is really very sweet, and I cannot imagine adding any sugar to it. Along with Constant Comment (and, now, Harney & Sons Holiday Blend), this is one of the few dark black teas which I prefer to imbibe au naturel. I always drink darjeelings that way, but with very strong Chinese blacks and Assam-style teas, I usually take cream, which compromises the caffeine benefit a bit because milk seems to have a soporific effect upon me. I am not lactose-intolerant (at least I don’t think that I am), but milk products aside from butter and cheese make me sleepy.

Though the steep-off was aborted, Hot Cinnamon Sunset was a good choice for this afternoon as there is no cream around and it was too cold to go out, plus I was too tired anyway. Now I’m feeling the zing of both the caffeine and the cinnamon.

Not a subtle tea, but an effective one!

This is the best tea I’ve had in my young tea drinking career. While the cinnamon was sometimes overpowering the tea was still delicious. That’s the only ding I can give this tea, that it was all I could taste. Since I love cinnamon that isn’t a problem.

Intense cinnamon goodness.

The first thing that hits you is the amazing smell. Very strong cinnamon and it awakens your taste buds. The actual flavor isnt as strong as the smell but it is still moderate to strong. During the cup the flavor stops making an impact and it becomes thin. The bottom of the cup holds all the goodness that even stirring cant seem to distribute throughout the liquid and the last sip is fantastic and strong again. Reacts well to cold milk. I’ve tried doing the traditional method of boiling milk around the tea (it’s in teabags) but it just doesnt work with this chai, hence a lower than perfect score.

State at consumption: Mug, almond milk, approx 150 degrees after milk added during the start of consumption. Last 1/4 at 115 deg before final sip.

I have to be careful not to let this steep too long or the the flavor is too strong. But when I get it right, it is the perfect marriage of cinnamon and orange with a caffeine kick from the black tea.

We had a tin of the pyramid sachets of this tea for a couple years and only recently was the last of it used.
This is the most cinnamony tea I’ve ever had, really the cinnamon is about all I can taste, hardly taste the tea much less the clove and orange peel. But when I’m in the mood for cinnamon this is a good tea to go for. I like it with a bit of sugar.

This is really growing on me. I have a cup every afternoon when I hit my daily lull.