Another enticing tea from my mixed box of Ayurveda Pura teas. Cinnamon and Ginger Spice sounds like a very Christmassy tea, but there’s also green tea in this blend and I am eager to find out how that will interact with the warmth of these spices.
I wrote a little bit about the uses of Ayurvedic teas in my last tea review from this brand, Ayurveda Pura Orange and Fennel Bliss. Go check that out if you’re interested in the medicinal benefits of these carefully balanced teas.
Cinnamon and Ginger Tea at a Glance
- Blend: Cinnamon and ginger with green tea and spices
- Flavour: Bland herby flavour with tingling ginger warmth
A very aromatic spiced tea with a weak herby flavour and intense ginger heat. It smells great but to add some flavour you’ll want to drink this tea with a good amount of honey.
Full Review - Cinnamon Ginger Spice Tea
- Type: Tagged paper filter tea bag
- Tea: Green tea
- Additives: Cinnamon, fennel seeds, cloves, black pepper, ginger
- Flavour Notes: Vague herby flavour with a long-lasting intense ginger tingling sensation
- Aroma: Cinnamon, cloves, sweet apple and anise
- Milk or Lemon: Honey
- Where to Buy: Amazon
This tea has an exciting name. I love ginger and cinnamon, so I was expecting to love this tea. Opening the tea bag, the dry tea aroma was a good sign. It’s a little musty, with cinnamon and cloves pulling through dominantly. There’s also an apple sweetness to this tea, which I would guess is from the sweet anise-like fennel.
Once brewed, it became a dirty yellow-gold colour, with quite a lot of dust lingering in the bottom of the cup. It’s musty and the aroma has settled. It’s weaker, even though I brewed it for what I consider to be a long time. Smelling it makes my nose tingle and my eyes water – a result of the ginger and black pepper.
The first sip lacked flavour, but that’s happened before. Sometimes it takes a few sips and letting the tea roll over my tongue to really pull out the delicate notes. But with this tea, there’s nothing. A vague hint of something herby and a little tinge of something sweet.
As for the sensation, it’s bold. The ginger gets caught in my throat and the black pepper burns the tip of my tongue. These tingling sensations last for several minutes after drinking this tea, even though I only had a few sips.
How to Brew Ayurvedic Cinnamon Tea
With this tea, you can’t really win. Brew it lightly and you’ll not have any flavour at all. Brew it strong like I did, and you’ll have a very intense experience with the ginger and black pepper.
There’s very little green tea in this blend so I didn’t worry about pouring on the water just after it had boiled rather than waiting for it to cool to 80°C. The green tea doesn’t add anything at all to the flavour or aroma.
So, just boiled water for 5 minutes (recommended time is “up to” 6 minutes) until it was a dark, concentrated gold colour.
I wouldn’t drink this tea early in the morning as the strong spices really don’t go down well on an empty stomach. You could try making this into a spicy chai by gently heating it in milk and adding some honey for sweetness.
Why Ayurveda Pura?
I found this brand a while back on Amazon, so I picked up the multi-pack of different blends to test them out. What I really love is that when I split open the tea bags, I can see the herbs and pick out what they are. You don’t get that with other herbal tea brands, like Pukka.
All ingredients are grown organically and certified by the Soil Association – a nice touch that sadly doesn’t add to the flavour.
So, I don’t doubt the quality of this tea… but why is it lacking flavour? I would guess that it lacks an additional ingredient to give the tea body and bind all those spices together. Apple would work well, or perhaps switching the green tea for black tea would work even better.
Although the tea is still within the use by date, I can’t help but wonder if maybe the herbs were already stale.
Summary
Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this tea if you’re looking for a hearty or warming cuppa. It could be a good option if you enjoy making up chai teas or need a spiced tea mix of baking.
Even with the high-quality organic herbs this tea is very good value for money, so why not check it out and decide for yourself if you like it?
About Me
This was my third cup of tea for the day. Perhaps that seems like a lot for you, or perhaps not. I know if you’re addicted to tea in the way I am, you’ll always be looking for the next cup to really take tea to the next level. So, browse through my section of the blog at Immortal Wordsmith to find some tea-inspiration.
If you like the sounds of spiced teas, you’ll also like:
English Tea Shop Ginger Bread Man (warm and rich black tea with apple and spices)
What-Cha India Assam Mancotta (a rich, bready, full-bodied black tea with raspberry jam notes)
Pukka Lemon, Ginger and Manuka Honey (warm and comforting with natural sweetness)