Fortnum & Mason Advent Day 23 (sachets)
As far as I can recall, I have never had gin or a gin and tonic. My take on this tea may be different from the note of someone who knows what gin should taste like.
I was really looking forward to this one just because it sounds so different and is one I have never had. I was disappointed to see it has licorice root because if I am reading the ingredients correctly, it has an awful lot. I like licorice root but can’t have much of it because I am trying to control my borderline high blood pressure. So I split this with Ashman and will try to get his opinion as well.
The green tea is mild and smooth. The juniper berry comes next in strength and is very pleasant. There is a light fruitiness that may be the bergamot but it absolutely does not taste like bergamot to me – just fruit. I can not detect anything that tastes like bergamot. The descripton says lemon balm but the ingredient list does not.
They also name fennel in the description but again, it is not in the ingredient list. Perhaps there is too little of these to be required to name them? That seems odd. Surely you have to list everything that is in because of food allergies?
I do not taste the licorice root and there is none of its thick, round sweetness and throat coating. The ingredients that are not listed must be taking up some of the percentage of what is in the sachet. They list green tea 53%, Juniper berries 11%, gin flavouring 5% (which seems high for a flavouring), lime peel 3%, and tonic flavouring 3%. Interspersed with those are liquorice root, sweet blackberry leaves, coriander seed, angelica root, and bergamot flavouring – none of those showing a percentage and surely they are not in order of how much is in the blend because that would mean there is more than 11% licorice root and possibly up to 25%. Surely not!
Anyway, this is light and smooth and delightful, lightly fruity and easy on the palate, and they recommend it iced as well and I can see that it would be brilliant that way. It is very refreshing. That must be why gin and tonic is so popular.
This one did not disappoint me at all! And Ashman says he thought it was good, which is about all the review I get from him unless it is a white tea or a terrible (to him) tea.
Gin is distilled with juniper so it has a piney and herbaceous flavor to it, which sounds like was accounted for here!