Beverages
Rooibos Red Tea & the Health Benefits of Rooibos Tea
Thursday, April 17th, 2008Until about 5 minutes, I had never heard of Rooibos Herbal Tea. Apparently, it’s an herb that grows in South Africa and is purported to offer a variety of health benefits that range from minimizing the effects of ulcers to delaying the aging process. Below, a more complete list of the health benefits of Rooibos Tea:
- Relieves nausea, constipation, ulcers, and heartburn.
- Strengthens bones and teeth (Rooibos Tea has a lot of fluoride, calcium, and manganese, apparently)
- Delays the aging process by attacking free radicals.
- Can be mixed with milk to calm colicky babies
- Rooibos Skin Care - Can be applied to the skin to lessen acne, eczema, and other skin problems (Rooibos contains zinc and alpha hydroxy)
- Rooibos tea contains no caffeine, so it makes a great bedtime drink.
- Can be used after sports or a night of drinking to restore minerals to the body.
That’s a lot to claim for a simple herbal tea, but Rooibos definitely has a strong fan base among those who know it exists. I was really surprised to see that no major franchise carried it, but you can buy Organic Rooibos loose as you see below:
Or, if you prefer, you can get something like this Rooibos Sampler that comes with 6 tins of different Rooibos varieties. This one includes Rooibos, Rooibos Berry, Rooibos Earl Grey, Rooibos Mango, Rooibos Tropics & Rooibos Vanilla.
Another Valentine’s Day Pick
Sunday, December 30th, 2007 Food and Candy GiftsWhile most of us think about what men will buy women for Valentine’s Day, this post is more for the girls looking to buy gifts for their boyfriends and/or husbands. Sure, you could probably get him something car-related like a Chrysler 300 accessory, which would be nice, but it’s not necessarily the first thing you think of when you think Valentine’s Day. I think I would have better luck with this Beer Gift Basket.
In addition to having a variety of different beers, it also comes with snacks like pretzels and snack mix and pistachios. If you’re lucky, he’ll like it so much that he forgets to try to celebrate another holiday
Sodas That Come in Glass Bottles
Thursday, December 27th, 2007I’m a huge fan of soda in glass bottles. It doesn’t matter what kind it is; it nearly always tastes better in a cool glass bottle than from a plastic bottle or aluminum can. Unfortunately, glass bottles aren’t particularly economical these days. They’re heavy, breakable, slightly dangerous, and generally difficult to deal with. All the same, there are a few companies out there that continue to do things the old way.
1. Jones Soda - I’m still a little miffed at the fact that they discontinued Pineapple Upside-Down Soda, but I have forgiven them. The fact that they sell online is a bonus, since my local grocery store doesn’t carry more than 1-2 flavors at any given time.
2. Boylan Bottling - Boylan makes a variety of “healthy” and natural sodas. I love their blueberry soda, even though it’s a little on the expensive side.
3. The Switch - The Switch is nothing more than carbonated juice, but it’s clearly one of the best ideas ever. It’s going a long way towards helping me break the nasty 4-6 soda a day habit I’ve been nursing the last few years.
4. Cheerwine - I haven’t yet had the opportunity to sample Cheerwine, but I will soon. I love the retro look and feel of the bottles, though.
5. Cool Mountain Sodas - If you’ve ever been tempted to drink antifreeze, you’ll want to pick up a case of their Razzberry Soda. If it weren’t for the internet, I would have absolutely no idea where to get this soda.
After this much soda, I’m going to need a hoodia patch to keep the weight away!
Make Your Own Soda - Soda Club
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 Food and Candy GiftsHere in the midwest, the weather is absolutely awful. As I write this, we’re dealing with mounds of snow and ice and general unpleasantness, but somehow, I decided it was worth it to make the trek to the store to get a case of soda. When I got to the store, other people were buying things like food or truck accessories for the snow, but I was buying sugary, carbonated water. I’d say I have a problem.
Then I got to thinking - some people don’t do that. Some people make their own soda and get it at a fraction of the cost that you pay in the store. I remembered seeing a Soda Club online and immediately decided to look it up. You can see a picture of the Soda-Club Home Soda Makersmachine below:
I’m not entirely sure that I’m sold on the idea, but it definitely sounds cool. Has anyone tried it before? Does the soda taste generic, or is it actually pretty good? Clue me in if you have any experience with it!
