What would you say about a tea that is naturally caffeine-free, low in tannins, and may even prevent age-related oxidation of the brain??? This almost sounds like something that is too good to be true?? Well, guess again--it's not!!

For centuries, tea has been considered the healthy alternative to coffee. There is now increased attention to the herbal teas, or "tisanes" and the many benefits they give the health conscious consumer.

One new tisane being studied is Rooibos. (pronounced "roy-boss") Rooibos is known as the red tea or the red bush tea because of the color of the needle like leaves which grow on bushes exclusively in the Cedarburg Mountains of the Cape of South Africa. With a slightly fruity, sweet taste, this tisane brews a liquor that is naturally caffeine-free and has been used for centuries by South Africans for it's legendary healing properties. It is a wonderful healing herb known as Aspalathus linearis. Like green and black tea, this herbal tea is high in antioxidants that may prevent cancers, strokes, and heart disease. Rich in vitamins, flavonoids, and minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium, the popularity of Rooibos is growing rapidly. Some studies suggest that Rooibos has significant amounts of Vitamin C. What we do know is that it contains more polyphenols than green tea.

It's credited with easing headaches and another highly reported benefit has been the management of allergies like hayfever, asthma, and eczema. It has a soothing effect on the skin when applied directly, giving relief for diaper rash and other skin irritations, and even sunburn. Drinking Rooibos promotes healthy skin, too. Maybe it is because Rooibos contains zinc and alphahydroxy acid.

The red bush tisane is also thought to be soothing to expectant mothers and colicky infants. Studies have shown that Rooibos contains anti-spasmodic agents, which can relieve stomach cramping and colic in infants.

Rooibos is a wonderful bedtime drink and is reccomended for people suffering from disturbed sleeping patterns, insomnia, nervous tension, mild depression and hypertension, as it contains no caffeine and has a soothing effect on the central nervous system. Laboratory studies have found that Rooibos tea contains significant amounts of polyphenol antioxidants, including flavonoids and phenoic acids. These antioxidants play an important role in preventing age-related oxidative damage as well as damage caused by free radicals. Green Rooibos is said to have 10 times more Aspalatin, which is a flavonoid found only in Rooibos.

It is popular among athletes as a source of fluid replacement and is documented to provide measurable amounts of minerals and electrolytes. Rooibos is used by South African athletes as a sports drink. Because Rooibos is caffeine-free, it is a wonderful beverage for people of all ages, and is especially refreshing and thirst quenching during the hot humid months of summer.

Research shows that Rooibos has more antioxidants than Green tea. The longer you brew Rooibos, the stronger the antioxidants become. The infusion will not become bitter even if you brew it for more than 4-10 minutes.

But there's more to Rooibos than just tea! You can use it in all kinds of drinks, appetizers, dinners, desserts, and more! Prepared Rooibos tea can replace the liquid in any recipe. Simply replace water with brewed Rooibos tea-for best results double the amount of tea you use to brew (two bags per cup of water) When baking your favorite bread try adding prepared Rooibos tea instead of water. When cooking meat, Rooibos is a natural tenderizer. Soups, stews and sauces can be color and flavor enhanced by Rooibos.

Here is a recipe for a Rooibos Cooler:

Ingredients:
1-2 Tablespoons Rooibos
1 Quart Water
1 small orange studded with about 8 cloves

Preparation:
Roll orange on flat surface or microwave for a few seconds to free the juice and then stick the cloves in the orange.
Steep the tea for at least 4 minutes and put in a glass container that is at least one quart in size
Add the studded orange and let all cool overnight
Refrigerate when the liquid has cooled sufficiently
Chill well and serve in iced tea glasses with a slice of orange and a stick of cinnamon if you like.

Rooibos has increased in popularity not only because of all the great things it can do for your health but it is also good to drink.

The next time you are looking for the perfect drink to quench your thirst or for a soothing cup of tea to help you relax, give Rooibos a try. Red, Green, flavored or plain, Rooibos is a special treat from nature that has all the right stuff.

Labels: beverage, black tea, caffeine free, cinnamon, coffee, green tea, organic, Rooibos, tannins, tea, teas, tisane, white tea

In honor of American Businesswoman's Day which is officially celebrated on September 22, SBS Teas is offering you a 22% discount on your entire order. BUT this is just for ONE DAY ONLY!!--Tuesday, September 22. The discount will be taken off automatically at checkout so you don't need to enter any codes.
Remember to check out our clearance section for some really great deals!

We appreciate your business, and hope you will shop and save.

Labels: black tea, coffee, discount, green tea, Rooibos, sale, tisane, white tea, woman

Iced tea is quite a popular drink in the US. Of the 2.2 billion gallons of tea consumed in the US it is estimated that 85% of it is consumed as iced tea.
It is widely speculated that iced tea was made widely popular when it was introduced at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904. The East Indian Pavilion at the fair was serving hot tea to fairgoers.
No one was trying any of the samples because it was an extremely hot day and people were looking for cold beverages.
The director of the pavilion had the idea of icing down the hot tea and served it to the fairgoers that way.
Everyone who tried some loved it and word spread about a new way to enjoy this healthy beverage. The fair did help to
make the iced drink very popular and as the fair goers went home they spread the word about how delicious and refreshing the iced they drank at the fair had been.
By the time WW ! began people were buying special tall glasses called iced tea glasses and long spoons for stirring.
During prohibition iced tea continued to gain popularity as people had to find alternatives to beer, wine and alcohol.
Iced tea is so beloved in the South that it is often called “House Wine of the South.”

In 1904 the tea bag was invented by a merchant in Boston because he saw a need for people who were having ato deal with ta leaves. Bags are sstill popular for their convenience but many people appreciate the higher quality of the loose tea leaves for brewing.

This month, SBS Teas has dropped the price on ALL of our Iced Teas by 20%. Now you can enjoy this refreshing treat and stock up before the chilly fall months. The discount has already been taken so go ahead and start shopping!

http://www.sbsteas.com/Iced-Tea-c-295.html

Happy Sipping!

Labels: beverage, black tea, caffeine free, discount, drink, green tea, teas, white tea

Inquiring minds want to know about lemons.......

There has been much written lately about how contaminated lemon slices or wedges can be buzzing with bacteria when dining out. A 2008 restaurant study finding lemon wedges covered with disease-causing bacteria is yet another reason to be concerned. Contaminated lemons in restaurants were top-of-mind last year after a video clip circulated worldwide with more than 7 million combined hits on HealthInspection.com and YouTube. A sample of lemons taken from various restaurants found that 77 percent had disease-causing bacteria with at least 25 different micro-organisms identified, ranging from germs that cause staph infections to fecal bacteria. Lemon Study
Please be cautious when asking for lemons in your tea or water when dining out.
Now you know the rest of the story.

Labels: beverage, black tea, caffeine free, drink, green tea, herbal infusion, lemon, organic, Rooibos, teas, white tea

Hello friends,

I'm sure most of you have heard about the devastating flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As of June 16, damage estimates have exceeded ONE BILLION ($1,000,000,000) dollars. In a town of only 120,000 people, this is beyond catastrophic.

Thousands of animals have been left homeless by the flood. The Cedar Rapids animal shelter has been completely destroyed. Many people had to abandon their pets when they evacuated their homes, and it is unclear when--if ever--they will be reunited.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The independent artisan community is coming together with an exciting auction to benefit the "Friends of the Animal Shelter" fund via the Kirkwood Foundation (tax ID 23-7076632), which is the fundraising division of the college currently serving as the evacuation center for abandoned animals. There are several hundred dogs, even more cats, and other companion animals being housed there, and many, many more animals are still stranded in the thousands of abandoned homes in Cedar Rapids. This auction will take place from June 25-July 2, and further details are available at http://www.iowafloodreliefauction.com/.

In the meantime, you can support the Friends of the Animal Foundation for the Iowa City animal shelter (also affected by the flood) by donating at:

http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?BadgeId=111927

Please forward this message to your friends and join me in supporting the needs of the displaced animals in Iowa. Together, we can raise awareness and much-needed resources for a community currently in a state of despair.

Thank you,

SBS Teas

Labels: beverage, black tea, dog, Family, friendship, gift, green tea, memories, pets, Rooibos, tea, white tea

Did you know: Tea is the second most popular beverage in the world next to water?
Tea was discovered by accident nearly 5000 years ago?
Tea contains naturally occurring plant compounds that may be good for your health?
Like fruits, vegtables and other plant-based foods, tea has been shown in numerous studies to have significant health benefits. These benefits may be the result of the naturally occurring compounds in tea called flavonoids, which have antioxidant properties. In the body, antioxidants are believed to work to neutralize harmful molecules called free radicals which, over time, can damage cells and tissues and contribute to chronic diseases. Tea appears to have silmilar or higher antioxidant power than many fruits and vegtables.
Also, a serving of tea contains less than half the caffeine of an equal size serving of coffee. Of course, this depends upon the blends and strength of the tea brew. But, this is encouraging news for those of us trying to limit our caffeine consumption.
According to legend, the custom of drinking tea began around 2737 BC when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water belonging to the Chinese Emperor Sheen Nung.
So, lets brew a cup of SBS tea and join folks around the world who love their tea.

Labels: beverage, black tea, caffeine free, drink, green tea, herbal infusion, honeybush, red bush, tea, teas, white tea

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and SBS Teas is featuring a limited edition collection of teas called, "Teas for The Cause." This is a cause that is near and dear to all of us at SBS Teas because my mom Betty, died from breast cancer and my younger sister was diagnosed with breast cancer too. I am sure there are also many of you out there who have been touched personally by breast cancer- yourself, a loved one, or a friend.

Last year I had my own personal horror with this dreaded disease. I went for my yearly mammogram and was asked to wait in an area I had never been in before after the films were taken. The doctor came in and informed me that they had found some irregularities and that I would need to have a biopsy. I cannot adequately describe the horrible feeling- my stomach turned to knots and I just couldn't believe what he was saying! On January 19th I went to Duke University Hospital for my biopsy. I was an emotional wreck! I had never been so NOT in control of my emotions or my life. I was scared to death about what might be happening to me and my family. The entire procedure took about two hours and those were the longest two hours of my life!!! My whole life sped before my eyes and I was alone with all my thoughts and fears.

The doctors came back back to the room and pronounced that it was NOT cancer!! I wanted to jump for joy but I am too old for that and I probably would have fallen on my tush! I felt a tremendous surge of relief and was able to go home and get on with my life. There are many others who have not been as lucky as I was. Our thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families and friends.

We will be donating 10% of all "Teas for The Cause" tea sales and pink accessories during the month of October to the Susan B. Koman Foundation to help in the search for a cause and cure for this devastating disease. Please check out our "Teas for The Cause" tea collection and join us in the fight against breast cancer. All of us at SBS Teas thank you.

http://sbsteas.com/Teas-for-a-Cause-c-394.html

Labels: black tea, breast cancer, cause, friendship, green tea, pink, ribbon, roses, Susan B. Koman, tea accessories

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages pervaded and the economic and agricultural systems that stemmed from the Romans crumbled. Most of the aesthetic gardens in the Roman colonies went to seed leaving only those that provided food, such as vegetables and orchards. Ironically it was during the Dark Ages that the science of herbal medicine made great strides and the unique trustee of ancient Roman and Greek scholars’ knowledge was the Catholic Church.

This was the time when monks pioneered agriculture. Each monastery had its own orchard, vegetable garden and a hortus conclusus, or closed garden. The closed garden was used to grow herbs that were both spiritual and curative. Lilies and roses formerly woven into the wreaths of the Roman gods Isis and Aphrodite were now used to worship the Madonna. The importance of these gardens was such that around the year 800, the emperor Charlemagne sent each of his intendants a list of those plants that were to be cultivated in his empire. The document was known as De Capitularis and of the ninety plants listed the iris and rose were first and second respectively; followed by several other commonly know herbs such as sage, rosemary, cumin, mint, mallow and coriander. These plants played important roles, both culinary and medicinal. They often conferred taste and color to foods and perhaps most important, they preserved foods and masked the taste and odor of over aged meats. During the 1100’s the Crusades came upon the Italian town of Salerno which was the site of a renowned medical school founded by four doctors, an Arab, a Roman, a Greek, and a Jew each of whom was appointed the guardian of the secular knowledge of their people. These men were recognized as true masters and their teachings would influence European medicine for centuries to come.

Rose petals and buds were used by women to enhance the beauty of their hair and skin. Not surprising, knowing that following the rose blooming a rose hip develops, and a rose hip contains a multitude of vitamins which have properties that enhance one’s skin amongst its other properties. There are more different kinds of roses than of any other plant in the herb category, and they all provide rose hips of one description or another. One variety of rose is even called ‘Tea Rose’ named for the resemblance of its fragrance to black tea.

Tea uses - Rose petals are commonly used to make a tea blend or infusion colorful and visually appealing. If you want to create their own signature blends, rose petals and buds can make your blend distinctive and a blend that only ‘you’ can create. A lovely recipe using rose petals is called Rose Orange Cinnamon Tea - a delightful mix of rosebuds with an orange cinnamon zest that can be consumed hot or iced. This tea is best consumed without milk. For each serving you will need: 1 1/2 teaspoon of SBS Teas Cinnilla Moon tea, a large pinch of rose petals and buds, a teaspoon of orange peel and a pinch of cinnamon. Mix everything together and prepare as you would for a normal cup of tea.

Labels: beauty, beverage, black tea, Catholic, Church, cinnamon, food, garden, Greek, green tea, Jewish, Madonna, rose hips, roses, tea, teas