Liquorice Legs

Confusing, that’s Liquorice Legs for you.

It is a calming tea, and could settle even the most upset stomach, but after it’s done that it will leave you with a very, very, sweet after-taste – which is of course the liquorice.

When had hot it is a nice after – lunch tea, perhaps after an over indulgence to help get rid of any bloaty feelings. Wouldn’t recommend eating anything with it as it is a very strong tea.

So sweet and tasty. I love this tea.

The huge amount of liquorice makes this sweeter than sibling Tummy Tea, and with a little less subtle variety in flavour – but if you want something hot and sweet without falling into cloying, it’s great. Also good cold.

It is so sickly sweet it is like a mouthful of stevia. I drank this because it came in my T2 herbals sampler, but never again. I like licorice flavour, but in tea it just becomes a hindrance. Too metallic, too medicinal, and too sweet.

Trick or Treat! While most people would be upset to find licorice in their Halloween basket, I was not that child… I’m one of the few people in the world that actually likes black licorice and black licorice-flavored things. Though I have my reservations that this tea is going to have much of a licorice taste (it lacks anise), or even much of that sticky-sweetness provided by licorice root… the dry leaf smelled very heavily of fennel, which I greatly enjoy, but tastes more like a veggie soup with some licorice notes to me. But I woke up with my throat feeling really scratchy/swollen, so I’d rather get on that now before it gets worse, and licorice root is my favorite balm for that problem. Then I saw this remaining sampler from the ol’ T2 stash, and it has such a catchy name, too! There really does need to be a candy called that. Like little frog legs made out of licorice. Ah yeah.

I steeped it up strong in my travel mug, and warm I can smell more of the peppermint in the blend, though I still am getting a strong fennel aroma. The flavor is… much sweeter than expected! The sip certainly opens with a strong fennel flavor, with just a subtle hint of mint, but the licorice root, despite not having much aroma, actually pulls forward and leaves a lot of sweetness lingering on the tongue. The fennel and menthol from the mint actually leaves a strong aftertaste too, and the compination of fennel, licorice root, and peppermint menthol is exactly what my strained throat was begging for this morning. I know this is a tea that most people would hate (the strong licorice root alone would probably make 90% of Steepsterites turn their nose up at it) but for me, it is tasty and certainly a better alternative to what I deem to be nasty-tasting throat losenges or cough syrups.

Two tasting notes in one day? Must be on some kind of roll.
I received this as a taster sachet from my last T2 haul in London and what an extraordinary pleasure it was to try. I can certainly say I’ve never had anything like this before and initial thoughts had me dubious of what to expect. The leaves give off an almighty, sinus clearing scent that one would expect from the anise and spearmint elements in this blend. A little nervous, I bit the bullet and took my first sip, only to pleasantly surprised by a sweetness that works perfectly in tandem with the minty notes. All together, wonderfully refreshing and a much needed relief aid for my pesky hay fever.

Late last year I sent a tea care package to a friend in Australia, and just yesterday I received a package in return from her. Imagine my surprise when I found a bunch of T2 teas in it, some of which I’ve coveted, yet haven’t been able to purchase as they only ship within Australia. So, thanks Helen! You rock.

I was expecting licorice like the Dutch licorice I had the other day, or even So Long and Thanks for All the Licorice from Butiki. Nope… this is anise, fennel and peppermint tea. and I’d imagine this would settle even the most upset of stomachs. Word of advice though: leave it unsweetened. It’s surprisingly sweet on it’s own.

Now I don’t usually drink tisanes, but this stuff if amazing. The liquorice is the obvious main flavour, but the mint supports it nicely. Perfect any time of the day or night, I can’t fault it. I keep it steeping in the pot, it never gets bitter, in fact becomes sweeter!

What a delicious surprise. Would never have selected liquorice, but delighted to have discovered it through friends. Enjoyed this at the very end of the evening.