Licorice Matcha

I am a licorice FIEND! Black Jelly Bellys are my favorite, my candy choice at the movie theater is usually Good and Plenty. I love the flavor of black licorice – a balance between spicy and sweet, with an intriguing minty undertone … oh so good!

And this has got the licorice flavor spot on. It’s a strong licorice note (my specs for this Matcha were my go-to specs: classic/basic grade with distinctive level of flavor), but it works with the rich, creamy, slightly buttery and vegetative notes of the Matcha. This particular flavor of Matcha is a little less balanced than some of the others, but I can’t really complain about that because the licorice flavor is so crisp and good. The aftertaste reminds me of Altoid’s Liquorice. oh yum yum yum!

I have to admit though, that I was a little scared to try it because I worried that because Red Leaf Tea had proposed a “new and improved” licorice flavor a few weeks ago when they were asking in the forums for input on new flavors to add to their already extensive line of flavored Matcha, and it made me worry that maybe the current Licorice flavor wasn’t good, and NEEDED to be replaced. But if this is the non-improved licorice flavor – KEEP IT. I can’t imagine it getting better than this. I really can’t!

If you like licorice, you should try this. But if you LOVE black licorice – you’ve GOT to try this. This one might just be my new favorite. Yeah… I love it that much!

You can find this amazing Matcha here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/licorice-matcha-organic.html

I have such a love/hate relationship with licorice, and I had to try this one (found here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/licorice-matcha-organic.html), I just had to. Licorice in tea is one of my favorite things of all time, and the Licorice Mint tea from Red Leaf Tea is a must for me when I’m sick. And while I love allsorts, any other licorice candy is not for me. I just think it’s vile. Every Easter my mother would gleefully sit by as I sorted out all of the black jelly beans from my basket. She was the only one in the family who liked them. Is there anything more gross than popping what you think is a purple jellybean into your mouth, only to discover it was a horrible, horrible, licorice one? Blegh! But allsorts….mmm. They’ve become a bit of tradition in our family. They’re impossible to find in Tennessee, so when I’m sending a package to my folks I always include Coffee Crisp for my mom and allsorts for my dad. That is, if I can keep myself from eating them all before the package goes out! Trust me, it happens more often than I care to admit.

I kept eyeing this tea, adding it to my shopping cart and then removing it in favor of another flavor of matcha, adding it back to my wishlist. I finally bit the bullet and I’m here to find out if this is an allsort or a black jellybean.

It’s not a black jellybean at all! It is a lovely sweet licorice that soothes the throat and makes me unbelievably happy. I was very scared of this blend, but those fears were unfounded. It is delicious and definitely one I need to keep around for when I’m sick but I have to deal with work anyway. Completely lovely. It’s not really an allsort either, it’s the licorice I’ve come to know and love in teas. I should have expected that, but I was scared by the picture on the website.

Licorice tends to polarize people. You either love it or you hate it. I’m one of those who loves it, but my wife is one who hates it. If it’s in a tea, she can taste it, and it bothers her. But for me…oh, I love it and this matcha is beautiful in the balance of flavor to matcha. I want to make a large mug of this, but I have other matchas to taste and review!