It’s the perfect time of year to curl up on your couch with a crackling fire, a classic murder-mystery book, and a hot cup of spicy tea. Now that the sun sets right after dinnertime and the cool air makes it even harder to leave the coziness of your home, you may find yourself thinking…should I have another cup of tea?
Spicy teas don’t just warm you up from the inside out on a cold, winter day; they have health benefits, too. So when your doctor asks if you’re taking supplements, you can say you’re doing the next best thing: drinking spicy tea! Spicy teas reduce inflammation, boost the immune system, provide antioxidants, and aid in digestion. And we have an entire Spicy Teas Collection where you can choose your favorite.
The Cinnamon Craze
Cinnamon has many health benefits, which means you can have as many cups of cinnamon tea as you want! Wait, who said that? In moderation, cinnamon, and therefore cinnamon tea, can help lower blood sugar and cholesterol in people with diabetes, as well as boost metabolism.
Luckily for you, we have several teas that are heavy on the cinnamon without making you feel like you're participating in the Cinnamon Challenge (if you don’t know what this is, don’t worry, you don’t need to). Hot Cinnamon Spice is our number one best-selling tea, which, now that we’re thinking about it, could be because we add three types of cinnamon. Due to its popularity, we also created Decaf Hot Cinnamon, Herbal Hot Cinnamon Spice, and Green Hot Cinnamon Spice. The latter is packed with a multitude of benefits, as both green tea and cinnamon are high in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. For the overachievers out there, Green Hot Cinnamon Spice is the way to go. And for those who can’t handle caffeine after noon, Pumpkin Spice will warm you up as you wind down.
Of course, Apple Cinnamon is a classic fall flavor that includes both ground cinnamon and cinnamon pieces. It’s a blend that transports you to New England in the fall, no matter where you are. Now, think of Hot Apple Spice as Apple Cinnamon’s spicy older sister. The cinnamon flavoring, ground cinnamon, and cinnamon pieces, along with the sweet and spicy apples of this blend, will have you wondering why fall isn’t a year-round season. If you’re looking for a caffeine-free option, Holiday Herbal has a similar combination of spices, without the jitters.
Ginger Goodness
Our ginger teas are great for boosting wellness while sending a wave through your senses in the best way possible. Ginger is known to have antibacterial and antiviral properties that can help fight infections. It can also soothe nausea, support gut health, and relieve pain. Really, it’s the jack of all trades.
Our Organic Ginger Lemon tea, which includes ginger pieces from India, the spice capital of the world, is for those who love the spicy-sweet notes of ginger and lemon and want to clear out their sinuses. Ginger Liquorice is another blend that dances on the line of spicy and sweet. This delicious brew coats the throat with sweet flavors of liquorice while nicely balancing the spiciness of the ginger.
Our herbal infusion, Organic Ginger Turmeric, may sound intense, but you’ll find that the blend of two powerhouse roots only brings warm tranquility due to our addition of lemongrass. We’d be remiss not to mention our festive black teas, Williamsburg Ginger Cake, and Gingerbread Festival, which are reminiscent of a spicy holiday cake and an old-fashioned gingerbread.
If you’re still hesitant to hop on the spicy tea train, our Peaches & Ginger blend offers a gentle zing of ginger, but leans more on the sweetness of peaches. And thanks to Peaches & Ginger’s popularity, we decided to create Ginger’s Oolong. After all, every black tea needs an oolong counterpoint, right?
Curious About Cardamom?
Cardamom supports liver function, helps manage sodium levels, and fights free radicals that contribute to aging. Our spice-packed Mulled Plum Cider is a caffeine-free ode to traditional mulled cider. While this blend also includes cinnamon and ginger, the smoky flavor of cardamom pods gives this rooibos-based tea a unique depth, which has our customers saying it’s a “nice fruit and spice combination.” Wild Spiced Ceylon, a spiced tea blend from Sri Lanka, is sweet and smooth with just the right amount of spice. And if tea makes you crave a sweet treat, don’t forget to add the Unna Bakery Cookies to your cart. The Cardamom Crisp flavor is our favorite.
Our Chai Confession
If you’re wondering how you made it through this spicy tea blog without seeing chai, it’s because chai is its own beast, one we dove into in our blog, All About Chai. Our ultimate sweet-and-spicy Chai has Indian black tea, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, natural cardamom, and vanilla flavors–oh my! You can shop for Chocolate Chai Supreme, Chai Hara (Green Chai), Organic Rooibos Chai, Indian Spice, and more in our Chai Teas Collection.
Now’s the time to get spicy and try some of the recipes below. Let us know which one is your favorite!
Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea Latte
Ingredients
- 2 tsp loose-leaf (or 2 sachets or teabags) Hot Cinnamon Spice tea
- ½ cup (4 oz) boiling water
- 1 cup (4 oz) milk (any kind)
- 1 tsp coarsely crushed cinnamon stick
- Sweetener, if desired
Instructions
- Place Hot Cinnamon Spice in an infuser or place teabags in your mug.
- Pour boiling water over it and steep for 5 minutes.
- While the tea steeps, heat the milk for about 60 seconds in the microwave.
- If using tea leaves, strain the tea into the milk, or if using sachets or tea bags, remove them and pour the tea into the milk.
- Add sweetener, if desired.
- Dust the top with cinnamon.
- If desired, add a cinnamon stick, and enjoy!
Hot Chocolate Chai
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp loose-leaf (or 2 sachets or teabags) Chocolate Chai Supreme tea
- ½ cup (4 oz) boiling water
- 1 cup (4 oz) milk (any kind)
- 2 Tbsp (1 oz) chocolate syrup (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp coarsely crushed cinnamon stick
- Cinnamon stick (optional)
Instructions:
- Place Chocolate Chai Supreme in an infuser or place teabags in your mug.
- Pour boiling water over it and steep for 5 minutes.
- While the tea steeps, line your mug with chocolate syrup.
- Froth your milk with a frother or whisk until foamy.
- Remove the infuser or teabag, then pour brewed tea into your mug.
- Add the frothed milk and stir.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
- If desired, add a cinnamon stick, and enjoy!
Hot Mulled Plum Cider
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp loose-leaf Hot Mulled Plum Cider tea
- ¾ cup (6 oz) boiling water
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp coarsely crushed cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp grated orange rind
- ¼ tsp grated fresh lemon rind
- Cinnamon stick (optional)
Instructions:
- Place all ingredients (except cinnamon stick) in an infuser or a piece of cheesecloth (bring corners together and tie securely with a string).
- Add boiling water over the infuser and steep for 5 minutes.
- Remove the infuser or cheesecloth bag.
- If desired, add a cinnamon stick, and enjoy!
Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp loose-leaf (or 1 sachet or teabag) Pumpkin Spice tea
- 1 tsp loose-leaf (or 1 sachet or teabag) Chai tea
- 2 cups (16 oz) milk (any kind)
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- Pumpkin pie spice
- 4 tbsp real pumpkin purée
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Cinnamon sticks
- Whipped cream (for topping)
Instructions:
- In a small saucepan, heat pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice on low heat.
- In a separate pot, add milk, brown sugar, Pumpkin Spice, and Chai teabags. If you’re using loose tea, put the tea into a tea filter bag or infuser.
- Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Take the tea off the stove and discard the teabags.
- Add vanilla extract.
- Add warmed pumpkin puree & spices.
- Stir until the pumpkin puree is completely incorporated into the milk.
- Froth your drink with a frother or whisk until foamy.
- Top with whipped cream, pumpkin spice, and a cinnamon stick.
If you try any of these recipes, share them on Instagram or Facebook and tag us!
