Fresh from my experiment with the free taster teabags that Twinings send out to potential customers, I decided to go with the same company for my next purchase. I’ve never really understood the idea of nettle flavoured things - aren’t they those irritating plants that make walks in the country just that little bit more dangerous?

So, Nettle and Sweet Fennel. I bought this before realising it was quite so aniseedy. However, I think my perseverance with these types of teas has made that less of a problem as I grow used to the flavour.

Twinings Nettle & Sweet Fennel

£1.19 for 20 teabags

With the lively flavour of nettle and the aromatic liquorice of fennel, we think that our take on an age old recipe tastes just as cleansing. And just as glorious.

Twinings site

I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the flavour of the tea.It took only a moment to get used to the liquorice flavours, and I’m not sure that nettle has so much of a taste really?

It felt very refreshing, like the peppermint tea, although with slightly less kick. In fact, it wasn’t such a strong taste but was there throughout, whilst the peppermint had the kick in the aftertaste.

The colour left something to be desired (although it was nowhere near as disturbing as the yellow of the camomile that I tried and disliked previously). It was a sort of greenish brown - green of the nettles, and brown like regular tea. It wasn’t the best looking colour, but this is for drinking not for staring at!

Overall, I liked it very much. It was nice and summery, which went well with the change in the weather that we seem to have finally experienced. Oh, hey, sunshine in July, there’s a novelty for you! I’m not convinced I’ll buy this on a regular basis, although I’ve said that before and been proved wrong. I think I would be more likely to get this one than the peppermint one, though, which is not what I’d have expected beforehand.