A bold Cincinnati favorite blending sweet cinnamon, warming spice, and bright orange for a full-bodied cup with an unmistakable spicy-sweet finish.
The Experience
Hot Cincinnati Spice Black Tea is one of Churchill’s most recognizable flavored black teas—a warming, aromatic blend that captures the sweet-spice character Cincinnati has long embraced.
A full-bodied black tea provides the foundation, layered with pronounced cinnamon, warming spice, and a bright touch of orange. The cinnamon leads from the first aroma through the finish, creating a naturally sweet impression even before anything is added to the cup. The result is bold and immediately recognizable: warm, spicy, citrus-bright, and richly aromatic.
Despite the word Hot in the name, this isn't about chile-pepper heat. Think instead of the warming sensation of cinnamon and baking spices—the kind of flavor that feels especially at home during Cincinnati's colder months. And while it's wonderfully cozy served steaming hot, Hot Cincinnati Spice also makes a surprisingly flavorful iced black tea.
Tasting Notes
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Top: Sweet cinnamon • Bright orange
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Mid: Warming spice • Rich black tea
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Finish: Spicy-sweet • Aromatic • Lingering cinnamon
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Body: Full
Why You’ll Love It
- One of Churchill’s longtime customer favorites
- Bold cinnamon character with a naturally sweet impression
- Orange provides brightness against the warming spices
- Full-bodied black tea stands up beautifully to the intense aromatics
- Comforting and warming without chile-pepper heat
- Delicious served both hot and iced
- An approachable choice for customers who love cinnamon-forward teas
- A distinctly Cincinnati-inspired addition to the Churchill’s collection
Tea Type: Flavored Black Tea
Style: Cincinnati-Inspired Blend
Flavor: Cinnamon • Spice • Orange
Ingredients: Black tea, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, natural and artificial flavors (no sugar added)
Caffeine: Yes
Body: Full
How to Brew
- 1 heaping teaspoon per 8 oz water
- 212°F water
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Mild: 2–3 minutes
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Medium: 4–5 minutes
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Strong: 6–7 minutes
Perfect For
Cold Cincinnati mornings, cozy afternoons, holiday gatherings, autumn sipping, or anyone who believes there's almost no such thing as too much cinnamon. Enjoy it on its own, add milk for a rounder cup, or serve it over ice for a completely different expression of its cinnamon-orange character. Pair it with cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, apple desserts, ginger cookies, snickerdoodles, or buttery breakfast pastries.
What Makes Cincinnati Spice “Hot”?
The name can occasionally surprise first-time customers. Hot Cincinnati Spice isn't a hot-pepper tea. Its sense of heat comes from the warming aromatic character of cinnamon and spice. Cinnamon can create an almost tingling sensation on the palate, giving the tea an impression of warmth without the chile heat found in genuinely spicy foods.
That pronounced cinnamon character is balanced by orange, whose brighter citrus note keeps the blend lively, while full-bodied black tea provides enough structure to carry the flavors. The result is a cup that manages to be both bold and comforting.
A Cincinnati Cup
With Cincinnati right in the name, this tea has become more than simply another flavored black tea in Churchill’s collection. Its combination of sweet cinnamon, warming spice, and orange feels particularly fitting for a city with its own distinctive relationship with spice—from Cincinnati's famous culinary traditions to the aromas of bakeries, holiday kitchens, and cold-weather gatherings.
Hot Cincinnati Spice takes that idea in a distinctly tea-centered direction. It's not intended to recreate any particular Cincinnati food or recipe. Instead, it offers a Churchill’s interpretation of a flavor profile that feels at home here: Bold. Warming. A little unexpected. And difficult to forget.
Not Just a Winter Tea
Hot Cincinnati Spice naturally feels like a cold-weather tea, but don't put it away when Cincinnati summer arrives. Brewed and poured over ice, the black-tea base becomes especially refreshing while the cinnamon remains aromatic and the orange becomes more noticeable. That versatility is one reason the blend has developed such a loyal following. Hot in December. Iced in July. Cincinnati all year.
Packaging: Our loose teas are sold by the ounce and packaged in food-grade resealable bags.
Explore Our Cinnamon & Spiced Teas
From Cincinnati's signature cinnamon warmth to traditional chai spices, explore teas built around bold aromatics and comforting spice.
Hot Cincinnati Spice Black Tea (This Tea)
Cinnamon • Orange • Warming spice
→ Best for: those seeking Churchill’s boldest Cincinnati-inspired cinnamon black tea with a full body and spicy-sweet finish
Chaiwalla’s Choice Black Tea
Cardamom • Cinnamon • Clove & ginger
→ Best for: those who prefer a traditional chai-style spice profile with multiple whole spices over a strong black-tea foundation
Chocolate Chai Black Tea
Cocoa • Chai spice • Warming pepper
→ Best for: those who want the richness of hot cocoa combined with the warming complexity of chai
Coconut Spiced Chai Black Tea
Coconut • Cardamom • Ginger & cinnamon
→ Best for: those who enjoy traditional warming spices softened by sweet, creamy coconut