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Cameron B. drank Lemon Licorice Balm by Verdant Tea (Special)

4320 tasting notes

Sigh… So I’m feeling pretty cheated by the Blends club this month… I was so excited for the premise of vanilla-centric blends. They reeled me in! And then they gave me a licorice tea and a floral tea. The third tea sounds like it’ll be good, but vanilla is not the main flavor there either. Ugh!

So I figured I’d get this one out of the way already, since I hate licorice root. Honestly, the dry scent isn’t horrible, but there’s quite a bit of ginger and I can definitely smell the licorice. And it actually smells really nice when brewed – like apple cinnamon oatmeal! Yum.

Unfortunately, it’s very licorice. I can’t stand that weird sweet aftertaste that licorice gives, it makes me want to gag. The other flavors in this tea aren’t bad, and I might actually enjoy it if it hadn’t been ruined by the evil emperor himself. I’m not going to rate this considering there is a large amount of bias in play here.

So, straight into the rehoming box it goes. If anyone is interested in trying this, just let me know, I have an ounce of it.

Daily Summary: 4 sipdowns, 155 teas remaining in cupboard

Flavors: Cinnamon, Ginger, Lemon, Licorice, Oats, Vanilla

Preparation

Boiling 5 min, 0 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

I Like This

20 likes

7 comments

Mandy
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Blehhhh, terrible!

Cameron B.
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Saddest day ever. :(

christeana1
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It amazes me how many people don’t like licorice….I loooovvveee licorice!!!!

Stephanie
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Ugh, SO glad I didn’t order now. Bummer :(

Tealizzy
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Talk about false advertising. Bummer!

TeaBrat
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Sure, you can send it my way. I don’t mind licorice as much as other people seem to!

mj
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That’s what was in the vanilla blends box? ?? Ugh, that’s the worst

People who liked this

Comments

Mandy
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Blehhhh, terrible!

Cameron B.
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Saddest day ever. :(

christeana1
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It amazes me how many people don’t like licorice….I loooovvveee licorice!!!!

Stephanie
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Ugh, SO glad I didn’t order now. Bummer :(

Tealizzy
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Talk about false advertising. Bummer!

TeaBrat
Delete

Sure, you can send it my way. I don’t mind licorice as much as other people seem to!

mj
Delete

That’s what was in the vanilla blends box? ?? Ugh, that’s the worst

Profile

Bio

Hi, I’m Cameron!

I’m a 30-something software engineer currently living in Austin, Texas with my husband and our two pugs, Gobo and Ume. I tend to cycle between my different hobbies, and they include piano, knitting, video games, board games, miniature painting, planners, bento, Korean skincare, and – of course – TEA! But really, what I’m best at is “collecting” hobby-related things… ;)

~ 2025 SIPDOWN CHALLENGE! ~
- January sipdowns: 34
- Total 2025 sipdowns: 34

I prefer my tea lukewarm or at room temperature and without milk or sugar. I steep Western style, and fluctuate between using big mugs or small teapots depending on the season.

I am always up for a swap! Just let me know if you’d like to try something in my cupboard.

Tea Preferences:
I enjoy both flavored and unflavored teas in many forms. These days, I drink mostly flavored teas, and I tend to gravitate most toward black, green, oolong, and herbal varieties. I do have a special fondness for straight Japanese green teas, however.

I do not sweeten my teas, and pre-sweetened teas are usually too sweet for me. I also do not enjoy stevia (or monkfruit, etc.).

I tend to reach for fruitier flavors rather than desserty ones these days, but I do have favorites from both categories. Willing to try anything once! There are a few ingredients/flavors that aren’t generally my jam, such as coconut, rose, lavender, and chocolate flavoring. But I also have teas that I love with some of those things, too! :)

Favorite Companies:
3 Leaf
Bird & Blend
Dammann Frères
Harney & Sons
Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms
Lupicia
Old Barrel Tea Co
Simpson & Vail
Taiwan Tea Crafts
TeaVivre

Tea Rating Scale:
90-100: Outstanding! Permanent cupboard resident
80-89: Great – a possible staple
70-79: Good, but I wouldn’t buy it
60-69: It’s decent
50-59: Meh… I may or may not have finished the cup
40-49: Ick. Couldn’t finish it.
00-39: Repulsive, I spat it out

I will sometimes refrain from rating a tea if I feel I’m too biased due to my personal dislikes, or if I suspect the sample has been compromised by age or scent contamination.

Cupboard Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZEuKf1-ppR-VXajO4vV39zU1N3zjFJteEPAynqD2yl0/edit?usp=sharing