I’ve been meaning to try out this black licorice tea thing for a while now. You know, I kept hearing all these things about how it’s good for you and all that jazz. So, I finally got around to actually doing it.

I went to the store and picked up some black licorice root. And let me tell you, the smell alone, man! It’s strong, but kinda nice, in a weird way. I also got a tea strainer, ’cause I’m fancy like that. So, the preparation was pretty easy. I just took a piece of the root, kinda broke it down a bit, and put it in the strainer.

Then, I boiled some water, poured it over the licorice in a mug, and let it steep. I think I left it in there for, like, 5 minutes? Maybe a bit longer, I wasn’t really timing it. I just wanted it to get all dark and flavorful.

Now, the taste. It’s something else, I can say that much. Very, very licorice-y, obviously. It’s sweet, but not like sugar sweet, more like a… I don’t know, a herby sweet? It definitely has that distinct black licorice flavor, which I know some people don’t like, but I’m kinda into it. I even had a bit of a sore throat when I tried it and it did seem to help soothe it.

• Brewing it was a cinch, just boil water and steep.
• The smell is intense but grows on you.
• The taste is very much licorice, and it’s a unique kind of sweetness.
• Actually helped soothe my sore throat.
• Remember to not use too much licorice, it might cause some problems like hypertension.

I’ve heard some people say that this stuff can mess with your blood pressure if you have too much of it, so that’s something to keep in mind. I’m definitely not chugging this stuff every day. But as a once-in-a-while thing, it’s pretty cool.

I might experiment a bit more with it. Maybe add some honey or something. I’ll keep you guys posted!