Anise Tea (Yansoon)

I can name two drinks that I was given on a regular basis by my grandmother as a child when I would complain about a tummy ache or just “not feeling well”. Anise tea was one of them, the other was “white coffee”, which I will post about later. I had been reading a book on herbs lately and it does mention the benefits of anise for digestive-type ailments. When my son was born, I tried the anise tea on him when he was colicky, which was just about every night for six months, to no avail. I would end up drinking it myself  to calm me down!

Aside from its medicinal properties, this tea is plain good to drink. It does not even need a sweetener. It tastes a bit like those licorice candy we used to get when we were kids. Except it won’t rot one’s teeth and it is so easy to make! I don’t know why people go out and buy all these fancy packaged teas when making a fresh herbal tea is available in your spice cabinet!

INGREDIENTS:

Anise seeds, about 1/4 cup for a teapot or 2 teaspoons per 8 ounces

water

METHOD:

1. Grind the seeds if you have a coffee grinder or keep them whole if you don’t
2. Boil some water, add the seeds or the powdered seeds, steep for 10 minutes or longer.
3. Strain and enjoy hot or at room temperature.