New Obsession: Rooibos Tea

I first tried Rooibos (pronounced roy-bos) tea at the home of a South African – it seems to be something that South Africans are totally raised on (it’s even safe to give to babies). It’s a deliciously sweet tea made from the leaves of a shrub and it can be drunk either with or without milk, with just a slice of lemon or a spoonful of honey. Maura and I tasted it again at The Antique Patisserie‘s new location in Noho and I remembered how much I had loved it and since then have been on the lookout for an easy way to buy it to enjoy at home… Last week I finally found it at Marks & Spencers in tea bag form and ever since I’ve had to control the urge to have many many cups each day.

As well as being totally delicious even by itself, I find that it doesn’t give you the dried-out feeling that tea sometimes can. It also is caffeine-free, and has a whole range of health benefits which are only now being investigated, but which are thought to include helping ease stomach aches and cramps, helping  skin conditions like eczema and even anti-aging benefits. If green tea is touted regularly as being high in anti-oxidants, Rooibos has been found to be even higher, possibly even 50 times as much! I’m just happy to find out that finally something I love might be good for me too!