251 Tasting Notes
Yummy flavor. I followed the label instructions and got a very light golden tea. Nice anise flavor, especially lightly sweetened with some agave nectar. The second infusion was very good as well.
I was hoping that this could replace my licorice without having the same worries about blood pressure, etc, so I googled start anise side effects. Did you know there are two types of star anise? There is a Chinese star anise, which is used as a flavoring, and a Japanese star anise, which is used solely for decoration. The Japanese star anise is deadly. AND you can’t tell which one you have by looking at the dried seed pods. The FDA issued an advisory against consuming teas containing star anise in 2003. Chinese star anise is also used in the manufactor of tamiflu. All very interesting stuff. It tastes good enough that I’ll ignore that FDA advisory.
Preparation
I got a sample of this with my Teas Etc order. Like most rooibos, it has a coffee kind of vibe to it (at least to these tasebuds!) and that leads me to add creamer and sweetner. This has a nice mint flavor with just a hint of chocolate. I’m debating whether or not to order it again. I like it, but I’m not sure that I would want it often enough. I do need some non-fruity caffeine free options for evenings.
This is a really nice blend of teas. Next time, I’m not going to buy them pre-mixed, that way I can control whether it has a fruity flavor or a tea flavor. The half and half blend from Teavana has a very fruity flavor. I like it lightly sweetened. Today I’m trying it with agave nectar and it’s bringing out the jasmine flavor some.
The first cup was good, nice mint flavor with vanilla and just a touch of licorice root. I’m waiting on the second cup while I write this, that cup will get some creamer added!!
I’m glad this tea doesn’t have a tremondous amount of licorice root, I always worry about it’s effects on blood pressure (raises it) and potassium levels (lowers those).
Overall, this is a good choice for a cold winter day.
Very interesting, I admire you for your courage!
There are chemical tests that they can do to insure they have the right stuff. AND I trust Golden Moon. I wanted to share the information, though. It sounded like most of the actual poisoning cases were people mixing and brewing their own tea from herbs they bought in bulk. Evidentally, people give star anise tea to babies for colic.
That reminds me of a book i’m reading called guns, germs, and steel. Right now its talking about plant domestication and it turns out that many of the fruits and nuts we are familiar with today, were dominently poisionous. It wasn’t until a farmer of some sort stumbled upon an almond tree that didn’t kill him. So he replanted the tree and over thousands of years it became dominant. It’s interesting to think of plants in terms of evolution, and the methods they employ to spread their seeds.
Sounds like an interesting read! I’ll have to take a look at that book.
It’s amazing how inventive the plant kingdom is at devising ways to protect itself from us!! Kind of frightening as well.