Rooibos

I first tried herbal tea on my mission to Denmark. Once they let you in the door (which wasn't very often), the Danes were very hospitable, but it was difficult for them to find something to serve us. "Would you like a cup of coffee? A beer? Some tea?" The easiest answer was to suggest herb tea.

I'm not sure what the first herbal blend was that I tasted, but I thought it tasted like weeds. Then I got to where I really liked herb tea--particularly peppermint tea. (I used to eat that Ricola granulated tea right out of the can.)

Recently, I've been turned on to rooibos (roy-boss), or African "red tea." I first learned about rooibos by reading the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. The main character, Mma Precious Ramotswe, prefers the native African red tea, or "bush tea," to the imported green or black tea. Red tea is naturally caffeine free and high in antioxidants. Those who know tell me that it preserves some of the qualities of regular tea. As a result it's occasionally used as a substitute for tea or even coffee. (You can buy an "Earl Grey" variety, which is red tea with oil of bergamot, an essential oil extracted from the bergamot orange.)

My kids were a little disturbed when they saw me mixing up a cup of rooibos. "Dad," they asked, "I thought you weren't supposed to drink tea." This led to a lengthy discussion about what is really "tea" and what the Word of Wisdom means by "hot drinks." They were finally satisfied when I pointed out that just like "rootbeer" doesn't really have beer, not everything that is called "tea" is really tea. (In the world of French cooking, an herb tea is technically a "tisane," a word describing any herbal infusion.)

Red tea will taste best if you let it steep for a longer time than you would regular herb tea. Pour boiling water on the tea bag and let it sit for at least five minutes until it is a dark, rich red. I sweeten mine with sugar or honey. In Africa, milk is often mixed into the tea. Red tea also makes a good iced tea.

There are a few retail varieties of rooibos. Republic of Tea (which I haven't tried) offers several flavor blends. Kalahari offers a pure red tea along with several blends, including the "Africa Grey." You can also find varieties from Celestial Seasonings, Tazo, Lipton, and Twinings (which is my favorite). But nothing from Bigelow that I can find.

If you're going to drink herbal teas, you need to be a careful reader of labels because sometimes herb teas have regular tea blended in. I avoid green tea, black tea, and white tea (oolong). Although church members drink it in Argentina, I would also avoid yerba mate. This isn't tea, but it's got pretty strong stimulants (as does guarana).