diff --git a/src/jest/helpers.js b/src/jest/helpers.js
index f687305ea..28aed9f98 100644
--- a/src/jest/helpers.js
+++ b/src/jest/helpers.js
@@ -1,15 +1,27 @@
 import { request } from 'graphql-request'
+import { GraphQLClient } from 'graphql-request'
 
 export const host = 'http://127.0.0.1:3123'
 
-export async function login ({ email, password }) {
+export async function getJWT({ email, password }) {
   const mutation = `
       mutation {
         login(email:"${email}", password:"${password}"){
           token
         }
       }`
-  const data = await request(host, mutation)
-  const { token } = data.login
+  const response = await request(host, mutation)
+  const { token } = response.login
+  if(!token) throw `Could not get a JWT token from the backend:\n${response}`
   return token
 }
+
+export async function authenticatedGraphQLClient(params){
+  const jwt = await getJWT(params)
+  const options = {
+    headers: {
+      'Authorization': `Bearer ${jwt}`
+    }
+  }
+  return new GraphQLClient(host, options)
+}
diff --git a/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js b/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js
index 9da3a3e9d..e88362a34 100644
--- a/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js
+++ b/src/middleware/permissionsMiddleware.spec.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
-import { GraphQLClient } from 'graphql-request'
 import { create, cleanDatabase } from '../seed/factories'
-import { host, login } from '../jest/helpers'
+import { authenticatedGraphQLClient } from '../jest/helpers'
 
 describe('authorization', () => {
   describe('given two existing users', () => {
@@ -20,15 +19,10 @@ describe('authorization', () => {
     })
 
     describe('logged in', () => {
-      let jwt, graphQLClient
+      let graphQLClient
 
       beforeEach(async () => {
-        jwt = await login({ email: 'test@example.org', password: '1234' })
-        graphQLClient = new GraphQLClient(host, {
-          headers: {
-            authorization: `Bearer ${jwt}`
-          }
-        })
+        graphQLClient = await authenticatedGraphQLClient({ email: 'test@example.org', password: '1234' })
       })
 
       describe('query email', () => {
@@ -43,7 +37,6 @@ describe('authorization', () => {
 
         it('exposes the owner\'s email address', async () => {
           const data = await graphQLClient.request(query({ email: 'test@example.org' }))
-          console.log(process.env)
           expect(data).toEqual({ User: [ { email: 'test@example.org' } ] })
         })
       })