I’m just reviewing this now because at first I did not really like it. It was very intense initially and spicy, which put me off a bit. I then decided to give it another go with the following changes: reduced the steep time from 7 to 4 minutes, then added 6 or so spearmint leaves to try and level out the spiciness with some in-between sweet (I found it was initially spicy, then the aftertaste was extremely licorice, without any nice in-between flavours to balance.. therefore I tried more mint to fill in the gap!) Then one last change was to add 1tsp of brown sugar in 4 cups of tea. These changes worked wonderfully and now I really enjoy this tea!
Dry: Beautiful, fine bright red pieces mixed with pretty tan. Very spicy smell. Burns a little actually.. (Don’t smell too hard. It might make you sneeze)
Liquor (with the changes): Delicious and mild in the initial tastes, but builds in deep complexity towards the end of the mouthful. Licorice really appears in the end as a great aftertaste (though too strong when steeped too long for me). It’s a great late night sipping tea.
Overall, this is a nice tea that I enjoy. I may stock up eventually if I run out. Probably as it really does taste like licorice and would be fabulous for a wicked cold (though I don’t get those often..)
Oh! Also… you can potentially get many steeps out of this tea if you keep the times low. I am onto my second steep and it’s just as strong, though more delicious, then before.
