Two types of teas have a prominent presence in the lair of AjF and sLk. Kombucha is one, and the other is a rooibos. Specifically, Marco Polo Rouge by Mariage Frères. It is the most amazing tea, smells and tastes like herbal heaven.
Rooibos comes from a bush plant that grows in Cedarberg of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. It has a high level of antioxidants, and is caffeine-free. Rooibos can only come from South Africa, states an Intellectual Property Laws Amendment Bill of 2008, just like how champagne can only come from Champagne, France; cognac can only come from Cognac, France, and port can only come from Portugal.
When an established tea company such as Mariage Frères gets its hands on rooibos, extremely tasty things come out of it: Marco Polo Rouge being one of them, there’s also Nils Rouge (Red Nile, scented with spices from the old Oriental trade, citrus and marigolds) and Rouge Bourbon (flavored with bourbon vanilla).
Teas by Mariage Frères is really meant to be drunken out of fine China with your pinky sticking up; it’s just how such delicate flavors should be experienced. AJ likes his with a few drops of alfalfa, in either a small Japanese tea cup or in an Evian bottle. I think it would be delicious with cream, as it is a bit spicy and nutty. Kombucha, on the other hand, has to be drunken out of something more rugged and portable. Kombucha is fizzy, refreshing, and so full of life, that it is best enjoyed in the great outdoors, preferably under the sun so you could enjoy letting it quench your thirst.
Kombucha is not really a tea at all. It’s actually a combination of symbiotic yeast and probiotics that grow in a mixture of sugar and black tea. Ref Conscious Choice article
……. to be continued
aileen said,
December 10, 2008 at 1:14 am
I’ll have to look into Kombucha tea. Sounds interesting.