Tasty Weeds! (Fentimans Dandelion and Burdock)

Member Name: Donnabroom

Product:	Fentimans Dandelion and Burdock
Date:	30/04/09 (91 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tasty, refreshing

Disadvantages: Pricey

Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock:

Whilst on a pre-night out splurge at Tesco the other day, (we don't get out much so really go to town when we do), I got a bottle of Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock because I thought it would be nice to try and a nice change as a mixer with vodka.

The bottle is beautiful, really old fashioned looking which somehow makes it seem reassuring; anything in a bottle that nice must be good.

The bottle is 275ml in capacity and made of glass, (very easy to recycle), and has a metal screw top lid. I will say that when you undo the lid you are left with a ring of metal around the top of the bottle which is a pain in the backside to remove for recycling. Some recycling schemes wouldn't mind but in my area they are really strict and often threaten to stop collecting your recycling altogether if you don't follow the rules! Not a massive issue but an annoying niggle all the same.

The Fentimans logo features a dog poking out his tongue, I think he is meant to be panting but he just looks cheeky to me! The label reminds me of an old school pharmacist jars and makes sure you know that this is botanically brewed, (in fact that fact is moulded into the glass of the bottle) and that it is traditional.

Having looked at the website, (www.fentimans.com), I can tell you that Fentimans drinks are botanically brewed and that it consists of three stages, the infusion of selected botanicals, slow natural fermentation and skilful blending. The process seems to remind me of the process they use to make gin. This drink does have alcohol in it but it less than 0.5% by volume which means children can buy and drink it.

The website itself is very attractive and well worth a look if you are interested and it uses the phrase, "cold, cloudy and wet" as a positive marketing point! (Great thinking Fentimans).

You can see the lush, deep, reddish brown liquid through the bottle and for me it is so appetising, (I love dandelion and burdock; even the cheap bottles), and I really couldn't wait to get home and try it. The drink is fizzy but only just, a mere hint of fizz in the background which makes it refreshing while still making it really easy to drink.

As I had never tried it before I decided to give it a go on it's own first then with the vodka. (Just to let you know that to "activate" the full flavours by turning the bottle upside down before pouring or drinking).

The flavour for me is outstanding; it is so hard to describe the taste except for that it tastes like dandelion and burdock but with a delicious spiciness added to the mix. It is rich and full bodied and I would definitely think that this was a "love it or hate it" kind of flavour. I personally can't drink drinks too cold as I have really sensitive teeth but I think this would definitely benefit from chilling. It is sugary tasting and is very sweet but I still find it refreshing.

With vodka it was delicious. The flavour of good vodka mixed with the botanical flavour wonderfully and made for a great drink. To be honest good vodka goes with most soft drinks but this was especially nice. I'd also like to try this with gin at some point in the future as I think the combination of the two sets of botanicals would work quite well.

There are other drinks in the Fentimans range including shandy and the famous "curiosity cola" which the other half loves. Like I said earlier if you are interested check out the website.

I would definitely recommend this to people who want to try something new but it won't be to everyone's tastes. At £1.06 per bottle in Tescos it isn't exactly cheap but it is worth the extra cash as a treat.

(For those of you interested there are 130 calories per bottles and 32g of sugar).

Summary: A delicious soft drink.