Hobee's Restaurants

Another tea from the tea box. There’s something about the cinammon orange combination in here that tastes a little like ground turmeric. Once I get past that, this tea is decent. The cinnamon is pleasantly spicy. The orange doesn’t appear so much in flavor, but more as a distortion of the cinnamon. I can’t taste the black base at all. To me, this tea is okay. The addition of the orange makes this tea taste a bit strange to me. I would choose a cinnamon-only black tea if I wanted something like this.

Thanks for sending some of this over, Mastress Alita! I think I’ve had this type of cinnamon orange tea in many forms over the years. But it’s always a nice blend to run into especially when the cinnamon is very sweet, sugary and strong as it is here. I love these types of super cinnamon teas, especially in winter. The black tea looked fairly fine cut, but wasn’t too deep and strong in the cup, even when I brewed for many minutes. I didn’t find too much orange here but I love the cinnamon more anyway.

Throwback Thursday! Since I’ve been working on sipping down my Rooibos Market Spice in the evenings, I figured I’d revisit this tea this morning, which is a similar flavor profile. I also have tons of it — it was an 8 oz. bag, bigger than I ever purchase (though the smallest Hobee’s offers, apparently) and since it’s a CTC tea, they recommend a 1/2 teaspoon a cup. I don’t even brew by “teaspoons” anymore, so trying to make my tea this morning, I was quite confused how much of this powder-tea to use. Huh…

Apparently I underleafed it, because when I got to work, my thermos was way too weak. I really didn’t want to overdo it on leaf or steep, because let me tell you, last time I ate at a Hobee’s visiting Todd, they made this tea so damn strong I will NEVER order it there again. My poor little spice-wuss stomach couldn’t take it, I was having IBS like woah that day, and I had to promptly be shuttled to a Whole Foods to get some pineapple coconut water to calm my poor stomach. Making this tea myself, I’ve never had it so strong and spicy before! I have no idea how they brew this in their restaurants, but it is not to my tastes at all. But this morning, it was definitely not the right leaf/steep time/water ratio for a good cup.

Tried another cup on my lunch break and tried measuring my leaf using a bit more than I do with long, full loose leaf, about 3 grams not counting the heavy cinnamon/rosehip/orange peel bits, but still used the brief one minute steep. It still tasted a bit weaker than I’d prefer, but much more flavorful than this morning, so I’m closer — I think this CTC may just need a longer steep to extract a good flavor due to all the spices, so next time I’ll let it steep for two minutes and hope it doesn’t go bitter. At least the spice wasn’t too strong/overbearing like how Hobee’s makes it. This tea has that artificial candied cinnamon flavor I’m not overly crazy about, which puts out a bit of heat but if treated right it is warming with some nice sweetness and a touch of clove on the finish. Like the Market Spice Rooibos, the orange notes are tasting more subtle compared to the spice. I do really like the inclusion of the rosehip; it isn’t overwhelming but adds a slight fruity/floral note.

I still need to find the optimal brew conditions for this, but it is decent for an orange spice tea. I prefer the Rooibos Market Spice for the sweeter base, but prefer this one as an iced tea. Lowering my rating a bit just because my personal preferences have changed quite a bit over the last year concerning artificial spice flavorings.

I received this tea as a gift from my best friend, who lives in the Bay Area of California where Hobee’s restaurants are a staple. I enjoy having breakfast there when I visit, so he got me a bag of their signature house blended Cinnamon Orange tea, which he especially enjoys iced.

The tea is a very finely ground black tea with a strong spicy scent. It has a very strong, full flavor; there is a warm, orange-flavor to the black tea body, but the finish is bursting with a strong cinnamon touch on the tongue that gives off just a little heat, with hints of clove and a subtle sweet, floral rosy flavor that balance out the cup nicely. The flavors compliment each other nicely and have a natural sweetness that works well. The tea makes a great warm tea in cold weather, but it is also great iced! I like to hot brew it and then chill it, and give it a nice brisk stir to mix up all the spices in the chilled glass. It needs no sweetening and is so flavorful and refreshing! It’s an amazingly versatile tea at any time of the year.

Full review: https://teatimetuesdayreviews.wordpress.com/2017/07/25/tea30/

I love a strong cinnamon tea and the tea served at Hobee’s Restaurant is fantastic. This packaged version of their tea is not quite as strongly cinnamon as what I’ve had at the restaurant, maybe they use a different tea/water ratio or maybe they steep it for much longer. However, the flavor is as close to Hobee’s as I’ve come across and I love this tea. Unfortunately, the Hobee’s Restaurant nearby me closed so I can’t go buy another bag. :(

This Hobee’s Cinnamon Orange is my afternoon tea of late; I either fix myself a cup mid-day when I feel a need for a snack or I have it after dinner as dessert.

It is such a camouflage type tea, if one can use this term. I mean the tea has so many aspects and layers. Brewed with very hot water and steeped for four minutes makes for a rich liquor-like tea. It is heavy and not unlike maple syrup, instead with cinnamon and cloves and bits of oranges and the scent is heavenly. You just cannot go wrong with preparing this tea and enjoying it. It is simply divine tea.

For dessert you can sprinkle some of the grounds over your Vanilla Bean ice-cream; or mix it within a dish of maple walnut ice-cream. Either way it is acts like sprinkles over ice-cream.

As an After Dinner Tea drink recipe:

After Dinner Tea, makes for an excellent way of capping a meal. Irish Cream liqueur can be delicious even more when offered and paired together with this Cinnamon Orange tea. This formula serves four.

Ingredients call for coffee but substitutes where it asks for coffee with the Cinnamon Orange tea grinds.
50 gm / 2oz ground Cinnamon Orange tea grinds
475ml / 16fl oz boiling water
120ml/4fl oz Irish Cream
5 ml/ 1 tea-spoon natural vanilla essence (extract)
30ml -2 table-spoon soft dark brown sugar
150 ml/ ¼ pint double heavy cream (optional)

Instruction:
Place the ground tea inside of a small pot, pour the boiling water over the tea and leave until the tea grinds settle nicely at the pot’s bottom and the color is very rich and full looking. Strain the tea into a clean pot or a pitcher. Add the Irish Cream and vanilla essence in order to the tea, and stir nicely for a good mixture. Include the sugar and continue to stir until it mixes completely.

Put this mixture into small tea mugs or high heat-resistance glasses. If you wish to add the cream to this; simply hold the spoon above the surface area of each tea. Put the cream very gradually down the back again of the spoon in order that it forms a swimming pool on top. Then serve them.

I have played around quite a bit with this recipe to get it right; the tea must be thickly made so it can mix well with the Irish Cream and I find adding a spoonful of Vanilla ice-cream into the cup makes for a good float with some Irishness in the cream depicted. Enjoy!

The contrasting notes are divine…Cinnamon, clove, orange spice, nutmeg, vanilla and the Irish cream mixes nicely when steaming hot. As I make and play around with this drinking recipe I think of bubble tea (tapioca) without the clumps at the bottom or good old fashion eggnog except thicker and much nicer.

I am attesting to the fact that so much can be had and made of this Cinnamon-Orange tea since it is that good.

http://www.Gojee.com

is a wonderful sight for recipes on food and beverages.

I obtained this tea from a store in Salem, MA and not a likely place for the purchasing of teas. Especially when one is out perusing antique stores. Anyhow, I came across this tin and thought it very lovely and upon touching it and bringing it closer I could not help but smell the cinnamon and orange flavoring pouring out of the tin. I decided that this was left out for me to find. So I took it to the register and the cashier person made a point of removing the lid from the tin to view inside and she took a whiff as well.

This tea has been in my cupboard for a short time this year and today is the day for rendering my new mug with cups of this tea. As I have been enjoying it throughout my morning, mid-day and early this evening.

This tea yields a hearty amber-colored brew.
Tea has a complex aroma with the mixture of cinnamon, orange and clove as being more pronounced to the nose. It is a citrus bouquet of sort, although I am not sure if citrus is a good word choice.

1st steep of this tea for the recommended 5 minutes and strait away is the smell of cinnamon and orange flavor with the cloves intermingling in the cup. I have yet to discern the chamomile flowers.

2nd steep, I tried for 3 minutes and this infusion I find that I like it better than first steep since the cinnamon flavoring is not so over whelming. I like cinnamon as smidgen, a pinch; anyhow it is still the cinnamon at play with the orange flavoring. The coloring stays amber throughout the cup.

3rd steep is done for 2 minutes and the taste is much milder. Orange flavoring is more prevalent than the cinnamon; I can smell the cinnamon still as the cup steams away. I am happy to be noticing more of the orange flavoring and the clove.

I realize with the 1st steep the cinnamon was clouding and overpowering me, I could not discern the clove from the cinnamon but with this final steep I can sense the difference, the clove is a milder spice.
Tea’s lasting effect is that of clove, cinnamon and orange flavoring; a very sweet liquor needing nothing else. For those who do find that they prefer to have less spice (cinnamon and clove) adding milk would remedy the overall taste of this tea to their liking.

I do not take milk with my teas but I imagine the milk would help to pleasantly dilute the liquor like taste of this tea. Since I have a full tin of this tea, I am looking forward to examining it further.
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http://www.hobees.com
Hobee’s Famous Cinnamon Orange Tea
Favorite morning wake-up, naturally sweet