Drink of the Month: Rooibos Tea

I’m a tea lover. On an average day I drink between one and five cups of tea (or more at work!).  I enjoy all types of tea: green, earl grey, jasmine, peppermint, Irish breakfast, calming, medicinal. But my very favorite tea is rooibos. This tasty, caffeine-free red tea is grown in the Western Cape province of South Africa and is now popular all over the world. Patrick and I spent six months in Pretoria, South Africa in 2010 and it seemed like nearly everyone drank rooibos all day long. Most people there drink it with lots of milk and sugar but it can be sipped plain, with honey and lemon, or iced. Some places in South Africa are now even offering Red Cappuccinos made from rooibos.


Lucky for me, rooibos is also an antioxidant and said to assist with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems. In South Africa, rooibos is used as a traditional medicine to alleviate allergies, asthma, colic in babies, and dermatological problems. What types of tea do you enjoy? Would you try a rooibos tea cocktail?

Cute photo taken by Jenny of her rooibos tea steeping in a cute mug from one of my favorite stores.



3 comments

  1. I love rooibos! Especially with a spoonful of really good honey (local honey can also have the benefit of helping with seasonal allergies, according to my mother-in-law, go figure). My favorite tea is the cinnamon-orange tea from Marketspice. I drink it almost every day.

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  2. I'll have to try the cinnamon tea-- sounds delish!!

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