Just Outstanding Orange Spice

This is the second I’ve tried of the samples provided to me, and I’m enjoying it quite a bit.

As I said in my previous review, I really like the base they use. It’s a bit malty and is smooth and not a bit bitter if you follow the listed steeping parameters.

Cinnamon is the strongest flavor in this cup, with clove being the second most dominating. It’s almost to a point where without knowing there was orange in the blend, I’d guess otherwise. In the grand scheme of spicing, though, it’s not terribly strong at all. The orange itself doesn’t really kick in until the tail end/aftertaste of the sip. The base is still present with all the mingling flavors.

I think this tea suffers from the same thing as the previous tea I tried in that while the flavors are good, the balance is off. I wanted more peach/apricot and less lemon in the peach apricot tea and I want more orange in my orange spice tea here.

As you may have seen already, Just Organic Tea is doing a Kickstarter to raise money for this really promising company. You can find that here : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered

I felt this tea was promising – the scent was delicious orange with cinnamon. However, steeped up the orange is pretty light, with the spice being the main focus (or it took over). The orange has a navel orange kind of taste and at first sip, but as the sip goes on, the spice kicks in, like a cinnamon heart candy ramping up.

Overall, I’d say this tea is closer to a moderate spiced chai and would be fun for chai lovers. I was hoping for more orange.

Full review on my blog, The Oolong Owl http://oolongowl.com/just-organic-tea-oolong-owl-tea-review/

I’d like to thank the folks at the startup company Just Organic Tea for this sample! (Check out their Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered) The’ve got some very tempting stuff!

First of all, this smells great. Very fragrant cinnamon aroma with a hint of dried citrus. Perfect for a cold, windy night at home. Mixed into the dark brown leaves are bits of orange peel and generous chunks of cinnamon bark. The moment they hit the water, I found myself going “Mmm” at the spicy scent. The water darkened quickly, making me think this is going to be nice and strong.

When it’s done, the tea is a lovely reddish amber. The resulting flavor is much smoother than I anticipated. The black tea base is gentle with zero bitterness and hardly any noticeable astringency. Cinnamon is the strongest flavor, while the orange rests in the aftertaste. I’m reminded of cinnamon candy, almost like RedHots. Unlike many spiced tea blends I’ve tried in the past, this one does not completely mute the actual tea aspects. I think if I had another chance, I’d go with a longer steep time. Altogether this is a very nice cup – not too strong, not too heavily spiced.

Sipdown (213/216)!

I received my Just Organic Tea samples for review today, and I felt obligated to try at least one of them today and get a review up because the company was very kind and sent me their whole Kickstarter line up to try out, as well as the organic sugar they sell (I’m going to have my company try that though, since I don’t add sugar to tea).

This best fit what I was in the mood for (fruit teas), so it was the first one I tried. I’m sad to say, it was also from the round of tea that I grossly oversteeped, so this steeped more than double the time it should have. I feel bad about that – when reviewing samples for companies anticipating reviews, I should really be much more diligent in my steeping.

That said, I was actually quite pleasantly surprised because this was hardly even bitter/astringent at all and actually held up really well to the oversteep it got. It’s hard to comment on the black base because of my reckless steeping, but I feel like it’d probably be really good if it lasted a 10 min. steep without bitterness. The spices were pretty tasty – more gentle than I thought they would have been, for which I was grateful. I tasted cinnamon/cloves most prominently. I will say that the orange could have been more powerful – I felt that it really sat in the background, which is not what you want when that ingredient is in the title of the tea.

Overall, I felt satisfied with the cup and I’m really excited to try the rest of the samples I received. I feel hopeful that at the minimum they will all be average cups, but anticipate finding one or two which are truly extraordinary.

You should all check out the company’s Kickstarter, as well if you already haven’t. I’m really hoping they make their goal.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/justorganictea/just-organic-tea-the-very-best-tea-delivered

Joy! Happiness! Celebration! After months of hearing my friends and family on the East Coast (even the ones who dwell in the South) getting lots and lots of snow (and me with only frigid, dry, weather) we finally got snow! I stayed up all night to watch it start with the sunrise, and when I awoke in the afternoon there was a lovely coating of about five inches with more to come. If I feel bold I am going to go out into the white paradise and build a Snow Creeper. A day full of snow calls for drastic measures, specifically warm, spicy, tea!

Today’s warming brew is Orange Spice by Just Organic Tea (who is having a fancy Kickstarter) a blend of Black Tea, Valencia Oranges, and Exotic Spices. Orange spiced teas are the tea my mind goes to when I think of cold days and winter, because my mother always had orange spice pomanders and made me orange spice tea on cold days. The aroma is sweet and spicy with nice tangy orange note. It blends citrus and spice in a non-overwhelming dance in my olfactory glands. A well balanced pomander tea.

Once the tea takes a steep the sweet cinnamon spice takes the front while orange plays second fiddle. Hiding behind the boisterous aromas of spices and oranges is an oak wood note that gives the tea a brisk quality. The liquid is a blend of cinnamon, bright oranges, and rich, molasses and oak wood.

The taste is quite bright, like a bit of sunlight in my cup. Sweet cinnamon and warming spice with a finish of oak wood. The orange quality is there throughout the sipping experience, from the initial sweet orange at the first sip to the slightly tangy aftertaste. A perfect tea for a day when you are cold and need warming up both in body and spirit.

For photos and blog: http://ramblingbutterflythoughts.blogspot.com/2014/02/just-organic-tea-orange-spice-tea-review.html

Sipdown! This is the last of the Just Organic Tea samples, and sadly the one I like the least. I think I might just dislike orange peel, so it’s not only the tea’s fault.

What is the tea’s fault is the lack of spice. I definitely get orange and the base, but there’s not enough spice to really satisfy me. Maybe it’s just me, but when I reach for a spice tea I really want to be wowed by spice. I smell the spice, but all I get in the taste is a little cinnamon and a woodiness in the background. The description is vague so I’m not sure what else I should be tasting.

Thanks to MissB for this! I was really excited for this since I love spicy teas but the base is quite astringent an the spices are rather muddled. I get mostly cinnamon bark, and no orange. I can see this being better with milk and sugar.

Don’t you find it frustrating when you try to make plans with someone but they will never solidify a time and/or place, so you end up spending an entire day (even sometimes the entire weekend) twiddling your thumbs waiting, on call, and avoiding doing anything else because that person may call you at any time when they’re personally ready to meet up, meaning you’d have to drop whatever it is you’re doing? On the bright side, it’s giving me a chance to sit down and drink a bunch of tea, which I haven’t been doing much of, as of late.

Sipdown!

I had just a smidgen of this left – enough to make a single cup. It smells really nice and spicy today, like gingery banana bread.

I think this was my favourite blend out of all the ones I’ve tried from JO. The orange peel adds a subtle touch at the back of the mouth.

I enjoyed it hot with milk and sugar, but I wouldn’t recommend it iced—the spice too rich, almost clove-y, to really work as a cold drink for me. I would have also liked a stronger orange flavor.

Thanks again for the samples Just Organic! This one seems like it could be a holiday tea. Cinnamon and orange on a nice black tea base: this base seems like it has more bite than other Just Organic teas. There is plenty of cinnamon here, it seems more of the spicy/savory than the sweet, if that makes sense? I didn’t taste too much orange, but oddly enough I was tasting strawberry. There was no possible contamination with other teas, so maybe that is what the black tea base tasted like? The second steep was just as flavorful. A nice one!
Steep #1 // 3/4 mug full // 14 min after boiling // 3 min
Steep #2 // 3/4 mug full // just boiled // 4 min
JustOrganicTea.com