Ok so I really like the adagio's cinnamon tea but it is a bit light on cinnamon. So I went out and got cinnamon sticks. I took about an inch of it and chopped it up into pieces. I put it in my gaiwan along with the cinnamon tea. Here is my infusions, you will see where ovaltine comes in later.
1st: Tasted like normal cinnamon tea - think the cinnamon sticks need to soak up the water a bit next time before I start infusing.
2nd: Had a hint more cinnamon but otherwise same as the first steep.
3rd: I could definitely taste the cinnamon in the tea, it added light bitterness you get from raw cinnamon along with the main flavor.
4th: even stronger on the cinnamon flavor, need to think of a way to sweeten or distract the bitterness away.
This is where I paused and looked around my house for other additions. I had sugar and cream but didn't think they would go for my target flavor. I wanted to have that spicy and little basic/earthy tea. Sugar and such would ruin it. I thought about it and thought unsweetened coco powder would be good. But I don't keep that stuff around, I did however have OVALTINE!
5th: Added a little bit of ovaltine, it took a bit off the bitterness but I underbrewed it so it was too light to tell.
6th: added a bit more ovaltine than the last time, tried this and it ended up being a nice earthy blend, very close to what I was looking for.
7th: to test the lasting power I didn't add any more ovaltine in. This still came out with a slight flavor like steep 5 but stronger tea flavor as I didn't understeep.
8th: continuing the test, this tea was back to normal and had a nice spice kick to it now that the cinnamon sticks were in top gear.
Summary:
Cinnamon Sticks - I need to soak these in hot water (probably in the gaiwan) for a few minutes before I use them in my steeps. Otherwise a nice idea, they are a little expensive so I will experiment with the powder later.
Ovaltine - Definitely worked with the tea I brewed so don't diss this. And its got lovely vitamins and such to boot! This was an interesting replacement for coco powder. I added this while steeping, will have to try after steeping next time. This isn't for everyone but I will play with it and post my mixes/recipe later.
Nov 5th, '08, 11:22
Posts: 553
Joined: Oct 14th, '08, 03:54
Location: Cinnamon King of San Diego, Ca
Contact:
Vulture
Nov 5th, '08, 15:41
Posts: 553
Joined: Oct 14th, '08, 03:54
Location: Cinnamon King of San Diego, Ca
Contact:
Vulture
Half way through high school I 'moved' in with my dad (after thoroughly angering my mom). Ever since then I lived with him in Bachelor style. One of the things about this style is if a regular staple gets boring, find something to add to it! This usually involved Ranch, cheese, or other condiments. Anything lying around would work.caligatia wrote:You're demented. (I mean that as a compliment...)
Though I moved out I still live that style and it has even invaded my tea making. I mean who would have thought to try Ovaltine in tea? Its like mixing syrup and cream cheese to make a dip for biscuits (which is good by the way). So onward I shall go revolutionizing tea blends with random odds and ends in the household.
My next experiments will be brewing tea using milk instead of water!
