Advent Day #22

Tea #22 - "Christmas Green Tea"

Since I am the greater lover of green tea of the two of us, I was happy to see I received this "three-day-before-Christmas" gift! My only concern was the strong scent of liquorice emanating from both the tea bag and then my newly-prepared cup of tea. I am not a liquorice fan, and at first glance of the ingredients of this tea, I saw the following: "liquorice root (13%), aniseed, star anise (8%)." For those who don't know, in the States, very little liquorice actually contains liquorice extract but rather includes anise. They taste similar, due to their both containing anethole, although they come from two different plants. But getting back to this tea, I was willing to give it a chance and intrigued by the other interesting additions: "coconut flakes, white cornflowers, pink peppercorns." I was happy to see the lovely evidence of all these items inside the silky bag! I can honestly say the only things I could really appreciate on my palate were the green tea and liquorice/anise flavourings, but it was a cup of tea that felt right for today. With the addition of one brown sugar cube, I was on my way to a happy albeit chilly afternoon! Days like these are meant for tea!

Due to curiosity, I embarked on a journey to learn more about liquorice and found it is a "classic British sweet," enjoyed throughout the year. As it was, the candy was created in Sheffield, England, back in 1899. In addition, liquorice root enhances the flavor of other herbs similar to how salt enhances the flavor of food, so it is not surprising that it is used in many herbal blends. In fact, this is not the only tea from F&M which includes liquorice. From a health standpoint, it can be mood-enhancing, detoxifying, and calm both GI and respiratory inflammation. The cornflowers Fortnum & Mason added to this tea also have similar benefits. I am guessing the pink peppercorn was added to offset some of the sweetness from the liquorice and anise, and I think it worked! The tea was well-balanced, and for this liquorice-naysayer, I must say, I would drink this one again! 7/10

Since I will be signing off for 2024 (as Lauri will cover the last two days of our Advent calendar adventure), I want to wish you all the happiest of holidays and a wonderful 2025! We look forward to providing you more reviews of tea rooms across Virginia and hope you will both read and interact with us on this blog. Cheers!