My recent hiatus has mainly been due to the rut (albeit an enjoyable
rut) I've been in. Huang Shan Yellow tea, Teaspring Bi Lo Chun, and
some various Shui Xian's have almost exclusively been in my cup. I
could probably go the rest of my days with only those three teas and
be quite happy, they cover the spectrum (for the most part) and more
importantly my tastes and moods well. But in the interest of my blog
and trying new/different things I've begun to forcefully break my
cycle. So here's my latest post:


Well, there had to be a bad egg at some point, it's just unfortunate
that it had to be with something I love as much as chamomile. My
sister offered me two bright yellow packets of "Sweet Chamomile"
teabags by Leaves pure teas. The ingredient list is: "Finest chamomile
flowers, licorice root, spearmint and peppermint leaves." The smell of
the teabag was very nice, you could catch hints of all of those
ingredients but in a nice balance and subtle to the chamomile scent. I
brewed it in near boiling water for about 3 minutes and the aroma was
phenomenal! I took the first sip and the flavor was actually
incredible, and then the strangest thing happened. From my throat up
came a sweet taste that only lingered in the throat and very back of
the tongue. It's strange in that it is an intense sweetness but not in
the proper area of the tongue for sweet and really not the tongue at
all but the back of the throat almost like a coating. Apparently this
sensation is what she enjoys, and to some it may either come across as
a different sensation altogether or else it is actually enjoyable to
others. I didn't like it.

The terrible thing is that I love the flavor of the tea and the
mixture of herbs, but a second or two later the hit of sweetness in
such an odd way ruins it all for me. It is the licorice root doing it
since licorice root's name is derived from Greek for "Sweet Root," So
I think I'm going to have to try to blend my own spearmint/peppermint/
chamomile minus the licorice root from my fresh chamomile flowers.
Stay tuned there's been some newcomer's to my cup lately... although
truthfully it has mainly been Huang Shan Yellow, Bi Lo Chun, and Shui
Xian daily for weeks with no end in sight.

- Dominic
http://teasphere.wordpress.com

"Dominic T." writes:

[...]

Well, there had to be a bad egg at some point, it's just unfortunate
that it had to be with something I love as much as chamomile. My
sister offered me two bright yellow packets of "Sweet Chamomile"
teabags by Leaves pure teas. The ingredient list is: "Finest chamomile
flowers, licorice root, spearmint and peppermint leaves." The smell of
the teabag was very nice, you could catch hints of all of those
ingredients but in a nice balance and subtle to the chamomile scent. I
brewed it in near boiling water for about 3 minutes and the aroma was
phenomenal! I took the first sip and the flavor was actually
incredible, and then the strangest thing happened. From my throat up
came a sweet taste that only lingered in the throat and very back of
the tongue. It's strange in that it is an intense sweetness but not in
the proper area of the tongue for sweet and really not the tongue at
all but the back of the throat almost like a coating. Apparently this
sensation is what she enjoys, and to some it may either come across as
a different sensation altogether or else it is actually enjoyable to
others. I didn't like it.

Leaving aside the specific flavor you're getting from the licorice in
your throat, the sensation of a strong flavor in that area is
something you can definitely get from c. sinensis too. In fact,
sensations in that area - some of these get called Hougan and Houyun -
are prized by some Chinese tea connoisseurs. Maybe it's startling
when you first notice it, but you can probably learn to enjoy it.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html

i got a strong sweet feeling in the back like that with ginseng oolong
(which i dont enjoy too much) and that also makes you feel it up in
the nose if you draw air. really weird for me.

On Nov 15, 4:37 pm, Lewis Perin wrote:
Leaving aside the specific flavor you're getting from the licorice in
your throat, the sensation of a strong flavor in that area is
something you can definitely get from c. sinensis too. In fact,
sensations in that area - some of these get called Hougan and Houyun -
are prized by some Chinese tea connoisseurs. Maybe it's startling
when you first notice it, but you can probably learn to enjoy it.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /

I'm familiar with the same sensation from regular tea, and it is
indeed the same, just a much MUCH stronger sweetness. It actually has
nothing to do with the licorice flavor.. that is tasted in the mouth
while drinking the tea, this is a purely sweet flavor and so intense
it feels thick! The other crazy part is that the sweetness reminds me
closest of an artificial sweetener sweet taste. I think it has to do
with how those tend to hit at odd parts of the tongue as well.

My sister loves it which is why she passed it on to me, so I don't
doubt that it is either a love/hate thing or else an acquired taste.

- Dominic

I find that licorice is very nice when one has a sore throat. It took
me a long time to get used to it, but one gets used to it quickly when
it relieves pain. I use boiled licorice root or Italian licorice
extract. I have never been able to eat licorice flavored candy
either. I mainly use it as a medicine, and would never add it to tea
or a tisane.

-Robert
http://amateursdethe.blogspot.com