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Rooibos, or Red Bush in Aficans, is rapidly growing in popularity throughout the world due to it's great taste and the amazing health benefits.  The source of Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) is a native of the Western Cape of South Africa.  The needles of this shrub turn red when when fermented, and the brewed needles were first drank by the native Khoi people of the Cape.

The Khoi's magic cup of tea is no longer a secret.  There is currently a boom in the popularity of Rooibos that is spreading around the world.  This naturally caffeine-free cup is most popular in Germany, the UK, the US and Japan with more than 15,000 tons of Rooibos leaves brewed each year.  The health conscious world has made this simple red bush a 23 billion dollar a year industry and still growing.  Where else can you get the antioxidant equivalent and possibly even more so than green tea in a caffeine-free, smooth cup?  

Here are the top 5 benefits of Rooibos:

1)  Rooibos contains quercetin.  A powerful antioxidant that helps prevent heart disease, many forms of cancer and is an anti-inflammatory.

2)  Rooibos contains aspalathin.  A rare antioxidant that reduces stress and helps regulate blood sugar, protecting against diabetes and slows fat production.

3) Rooibos contains nothofagin.  Another rare antioxidant that is an anti-inflammatory that helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

4)  Rooibos is very popular with pregnant women as it is an anti-spasmodic.  Drinking Rooibos while you are pregnant soothes the stomach and lowers stress which is key for proper neurological growth for the fetus.  It is also given to infants with colic to help reduce symptoms.

5) Recent studies in Japan show that drinking Rooibos help reduce the symptoms of many seasonal allergies.

Rooibos has a delicate, sweet taste.  We've found that it blends very well with spices and preserved fruits and we use Rooibos as the base of several of our super popular tea blends such as Gingerbread Chai and Lemon Meringue Pie.

Christmas is drawing near and a crisp chill is in the air as we all plan our holiday shopping lists. I was fortunate enough to get to sample one of the gifts I will be sending to many people on my 'nice' list this year: Gingerbread Chai Tea. Not only is this blend, which is a subtly spicy combination of Rooibos tea leaves, ginger, lemongrass, vanilla and cinnamon, incredibly tasty, but it's also very healthful. 

Ginger has long had a reputation for naturally easing gastrointestinal distress (source), but many people do not realize that ginger is also a potent anti-inflammatory, may fight cancer, and boosts the immune system (source).  Ginger also contains a large amount of such vital nutrients as potassium, copper, magnesium, and vitamin B6 (source).

This tea is caffeine-free, which makes it perfect for pregnant women and nursing moms, as well as anyone who has to be up early for work! It has a wonderful complex, slightly sweet, spicy taste when brewed by itself; add sweetener and milk, and it tastes like a quite sweet, slightly spicy cookie! It has an excellent, warm aroma, reminiscent of gingerbread houses and Christmases past, while brewing; it would provide the perfect ambiance for any holiday party!

Gingerbread tea -- in addition to tasting like an indulgent dessert -- has many benefits and is a wonderful choice for this holiday season!

How is it that you enjoy your night time tea? Do you enjoy a cup of herbal in the quiet after the kids go to bed? Do you sip a cup during the nightly news? I take mine out to the front porch and sip my tea while I drink in the night. Listening to the night sounds of suburbia, Killdeers winging through the dark... Sometimes watching a bat fly in and out of the streetlight catchng insects.

Other times I sit quietly with prayer beads in hand and ask the Universe to help plot my course to contentment, pray for the end of suffering and war... or pray for things closer to home and my heart... or I simply give thanks for the blessings I have.

These are prayer beads I made for a friend fighting breat cancer.

Do you have a night time ritual invovling tea?

Yes I'm one of those people... one of those who can't turn off their minds to get to sleep... one of those chronic insomniacs that take hours to fall asleep regardless of how tired or sleepy I am... and to top that off... I have Restless Leg Syndrome... not to mention the stress of today's economy...

So... every night before I attempt to get to sleep I sit out on my front porch and have a pot... yes a pot!... of some kind of "sleep" tea or sleepy time tea.  For two nights now, I've been drinking California Tea House's Bedtime Chai II.  Although, the jury is still out on whether it will help with the RLS, I've slept better the past two nights than I have in quite a long time...

It works well for me and the taste is wonderful! It is not wildly spicey like many chais. You can taste the Chamomile and Vanilla Bean and each individual spice, but the sweetness of the African Honeybush shines through! I highly recommend this tea if you have trouble sleeping... or even if you don't... It tastes that good!

Last week, as my paddle sliced the inky lake water of Northern Minnesota, my mind wandered like a radio on scan. The beautiful surrounding set my wanderlusting mind on roam. On this particular day up North, I could feel the chill in the air and see the stirring wind sending waves and white caps to greet our lightweight canoe. Naturally, I tuned my mind to visions of fall: orange and red dotting the trees, football games, Halloween!, plus the perfect cozy sweater and a hot mug of cider. I would’ve traded my paddle for any of them.

It’s the dog days of summer, but I’m already anticipating the new season, new beginnings and a new take on a classic drink. I believe it’s in order.

Cider on Fire—as I like to call it, however, Mulled Cider works too.