Necessitea – One More Steep

Licorice Mint by Necessitea
Herbal Infusion / Flavoured
$6.00USD for 2oz

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Necessitea has provided me with Licorice Mint for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

Licorice Mint came to me in a resealable silver foil package. I like the minimalist look of the labelling – not too much information on there. The dry leaf has an unmistakeable minty aroma – just the first sniff made me feel as though my sinuses were clear (even though I was not sick when I tried this tea). I’m not entirely sure what licorice root is supposed to smell like – however, I don’t smell anything that reminds me of licorice candy and whatever licorice root is supposed to smell like, it reminds me a bit of lemongrass. Just an overall burst of freshness, although it is overpowered by the mint.

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Licorice Mint consists of licorice root, mint, and rosehips. All three ingredients are quite visible in the dry herbal blend.

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Preparation

There were no preparation instructions on either the packaging of the sample I received or on the product page on the Necessitea website. I opted to steep Licorice Mint at 100°C (212°F) for an initial steep of 4 minutes.

First Taste

Licorice Mint steeps to quite a bright yellow. I found the minty aroma from the steeped herbal infusion to be strong. The flavour of this tisane did not disappoint. Each sip began with the freshness of mint, and tapered off into something a bit citrus-tasting, although I attributed that to the licorice root. There’s a sweetness to this herbal infusion that I wasn’t really expecting. However, I did do some Googling on licorice root and found out that licorice root is actually really sweet and doesn’t taste a thing like the licorice candy! (Lucky for me.) There’s something quite soothing about sipping this tisane that’s quite calming to the senses. I think it’s the combination of the aroma of the steeped tisane and the flavour that’s just very pleasant.

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A Second Cup?

I attempted to resteep Licorice Mint and found it to be a very watery version of the first steep, I would say that Licorice Mint is good for one steep only.

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My Overall Impression

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I liked Necessitea’s Licorice Mint. I did find myself a bit apprehensive at first, but this was my first exposure to licorice root and I found it surprisingly pleasant. I’m not usually one for herbal infusions, unless it’s fruit based (and iced!), but I did enjoy Licorice Mint. I found the calming effects of just inhaling the aroma of the mint and licorice rot to be quite soothing. It’d be a great drink for late night since it’s naturally caffeine free. I wish it had done decently well for a second steep, since it does smell so good from the initial steep.

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Mojito by Necessitea
Black Tea / Flavoured
$6.00USD for 2oz

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Necessitea has provided me with Mojito for the purposes of providing an honest review.

First Impressions

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Mojito came to me from Necessitea in a resealable package. When I first opened the package, I first smelled the mint, and then the black tea base. I definitely smell the orange pekoe and the mint. Holly of Necessitea had included a letter with the package and described this blend as being inspired by the mojito drink, to give the option of a virgin tea version of the alcoholic drink (and could be mixed as well). I love the smell of the mint.

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Mojito is a black tea blend made up of orange pekoe black tea, mint, and lime. The lime is a bit harder to pick out of the tea, but I can definitely smell the mint in there.

Preparation

There were no steeping instructions on the packaging or the Necessitea website, but I did an initial steep at 100°C (212°F) for 4 minutes.

First Taste

Mojito steeps to a beautiful golden orange. The aroma that comes from this tea is richly of mint, with the fragrances of a strong orange pekoe. The tea base comes through and the mint isn’t too overwhelming. I found the lime present in the steeped tea, it just adds a touch of freshness in this tea and it primarily shines through at the beginning of tea sip. The tea has a slight sweetness to it, but I found it benefited from the addition of a bit of honey (I used a locally harvested clover honey), which helped to amplify the flavours of lime and mint.

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A Second Cup?

I resteeped Mojito a couple of times. I found the first resteep to be fairly similar to the initial steep, while I found the second resteep to be quite a bit watery. I would say that Mojito would be good for just one more steep.

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My Overall Impression

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I liked Necessitea’s Mojito. I really enjoyed the mint flavours in this black tea blend, and the freshness that the mint leaves added to the tea. I wish that the lime was stronger, because I feel like it would have highlighted the mojito experience. I really liked this black tea with a touch of honey, and I think it would make an excellent iced tea if it had been hotter weather. If you like black teas with mint, I think you’ll really enjoy this black tea blend.

Curious about the cup rating system? Click here to learn more.