Licorice & Cinnamon (formerly Pleasure)

Good words to describe this tea – rich, cozy, luxurious.

I’m a big licorice tea junkie. Pukka takes it to the next level and adds another warm, deep layer of flavor with the cinnamon. It’s very complex and comforting and I see this as the perfect tea to sip during chilly winter nights. Very smooth, very tasty.

One note, however – I find I really have to be in the mood to have this particular tea, because while I love licorice, the cinnamon can sometimes be a bit too rich and heavy for what my palate wants at the time. Still, it’s great to have a box of this around the house.

This is my favourite Pukka tea. The rich taste of licorice and cinnamon is great for a chilly evening. I wasn’t a tea drinker until I tried Pukka’s teas. I’ve since branched out into loose leaf teas, but this bagged tea still has a place in my cupboard.

I sipped down the remaining few teas from the tea exchange awhile ago. I started the day with a mug of the Pukka Licorice and Cinnamon. I was hopeful that this was going to be a good cup of tea, but slightly disappointed that it was a little bitter. There wasn’t a great deal of cinnamon and the licorice fell short, too.

This was one of two boxes of Pukka tea that Todd brought me back from a past trip to Ireland. I’ve been running around like a crazy person getting errands done today (including a horrible wait in the kind of nightmare DMV line that is typically the punchline to some joke…) and just need to destress, and this with a slice of the carrot cake I totally didn’t impulse buy at the grocery store today sounded nice.

I’m getting a roasted cocoa and cinnamon aroma from the cup. Even on the sip, I am not really getting a strong licorice flavor like I was expecting (I actually love black licorice, and love herbs/spices like licorice root, anise, and fennel!) The cocoa and chicory are actually quite a strong presense; it is a surprisingly nice cocoa note for having the thin body of a tea rather than the thickness/richness of a hot cocoa with milk. The chicory and cinnamon just add a lovely depth to the flavor. The cinnamon is sweet, but not that “Red Hots Candy” sort of taste, as the sweetness is more of the sticky sweetness of licorice root, and a sticky sweet cinnamon flavor lingers a bit after the sip. All the flavors go together really well! I am loving this! It feels indulgent but comforting at the same time. Definitely on par with my other favorite bagged herbal tea, Tazo’s Glazed Lemon Loaf.

Thanks Todd!

Day 18 of Sara’s Old Tea! Part 2 of 6

Since it’s an herbal, I poured boiling water over the bag and left the bag in.

What kind of cinnamon is this? It stands out while pairing nicely with the licorice flavors! There’s also a bit of cocoa flavor towards the end of the sip. Excellent herbal.

I remember picking this up at a convenience store in Dublin, Ireland, last year. It was my first time seeing that brand, but now I see it at the local Safeway too, though not quite so many varieties.

If you hate licorice, don’t bother with this one. More for me!

Pukka Days of Christmas #18

Yesterday, I was out most of the day, so I didn´t take my advent calender tea…something for later on! Today´s selection is another blend with licorice…Pukka seems to like it ;-) And they sure make sure the licorice (or the cinnamon, come to think of it) doesn´t dominate the blend, but rather harmoniously blends in. I like licorice, not so keen on cinnamon however, but here it works out nicely. In nose a lot of cinnamon, with some cacao notes as well, once steeped it smells like speculoos, the Belgian Sint-Nicholas cookie…so obviously, a great plus for me. In mouth a warm, seasonal drink with subtle cinnamon and licorice notes…a nice surprise overall!

Brews moderately dark and slightly hazy.
Smells nice. Slight roastiness, a bit of cocoa, not too much of licorice and cinnamon, a bit of sweet fennel in the background.
And generally the in taste plus distinct licorice “sweetness”.
Nice tea, rich and complex, not entirely dominated by the two main ingredients.