Mystery Monday: A Full Cupboard of Tea

This weeks Mystery Monday is a recipe for a mini break, facilitated by a simple cup of tea. I have been reading The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and they are best suited (in my opinion) for summer reading. They are so simple, and describe such a quiet non-modern-American lifestyle that reading them is like a psychological vacation. Plus the books take place in Botswana, and with the weather we have been having it seems appropriate to read about a country that is so defined by the relentlessly glaring sun.

If you are at all familiar with the books you will know that the lead detective, Mma Ramotswe, is a devoted tea drinker. She drinks tea constantly, both alone and with friends, family, clients, and strangers. She drinks tea in the morning. She drinks tea in the afternoon heat. Tea puts people at ease, is for reflecting, sharing, and just for the simple enjoyment of drinking. But regardless of the people with whom she is drinking, or why, their is one unchangeable constant, and that is Mma Ramotswe's unswaying dedication to the traditional African Red Bush tea.

Apparently, according to the shelves of my local Whole Foods, Red Bush tea (also seemingly called rooibos) is being heavily pushed in America for it's health benefits. Unfortunately, many of the varieties I found promised complicated spice mixes and high prices. I really wanted something simple, straightforward, and affordable. I ended up with a version from Tazo, which although not cheap, recommended itself by pairing the Red Bush with hibiscus and citrus which sounded much lighter and preferable to the notes of ginger and cinnamon promised by others. All in all the tea was fine, if a little difficult to define, but in the end it is more about the process of slowing down, drinking your cup accompanied either by a book, a friend, or your thoughts.