How much spice?

[thrashandburn]

Hello all, I'm going to be brewing a Spiced Christmas Stout and I've got plenty of questions for anyone willing to answer. I've never brewed with spices before, so, I was hoping I could get some feedback on my proposed volumes/preparations of the spices as well as my recipe in general. I haven't really been exposed to very many spiced stouts and I thought it would make for an interesting concoction, so I came up with this:

Christmas Stout

O.G. - 1.060
F.G. - 1.010
ABV - 6.6
IBUs - 30.5
SRM - 35.4

Grain

7 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter 46.7 %
4 lbs Brown Malt 26.7 %
1 lbs Crystal -60L 6.7 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked 6.7 %
8.0 oz Cara-Pils 3.3 %
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt 3.3 %
8.0 oz Special B Malt 3.3%
8.0 oz Brown Sugar, Dark 3.3%

Hops
1.00 oz Challenger [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min
0.50 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] - Boil 15.0 min

Yeast
Wyeast 1028 - London Ale

Spices
.5 lb Brown Sugar - added to boil at 15 mins
.5oz. Coriander or Orange peel - added to boil at 15 mins
1 Cinnamon Stick - steeped in vodka for 1 week and added to secondary

My goal is subtlety. I want a noticeable spice character but not overpowering. Keeping this in mind, to those who have experience with spices, how noticeable would you guess each spice would be in the finished product? Obviously, that is not a question that can really be answered for sure as the potency of the actual spices I use can not be estimated and perceived spiciness is a matter of personal taste, but I'm just looking for a ball park guess.

Also, I'm a bit curious about how to prepare the spices as well. Cinnamon I heard gets too bitter from all of the tannins in it if you boil it, which is why I thought soaking it in vodka would be a better choice. Can this bitterness be avoided if the cinnamon stick is added maybe at flame out and left in the wort until it's cooled, or would this not allow adequate time to get its flavor?
I was thinking of doing the same with the coriander, but I figured it would be more convenient to just put it in with the boil. This brings me to my final question, I'm looking for a citrus flavor as I thought it might be a nice contrast to the dark flavors that will be present in this beer but I really don't know if I should use coriander or orange peel, or perhaps both?

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for anyone who can offer up some input, it is surely appreciated.

 

[ColoHox]

It is very easy to over-spice your beer. I tend to spice in secondary (the only time I use a secondary) after letting the spices soak in some alcohol. After about a week, I taste a sample and adjust for more spice if needed. I have thrown lots of cinnamon sticks in my beer and never had trouble with bitterness, although orange peel can contribue a lot of pithy bitterness.