Sunday 6 June 2010

Bietjie Bos.

(the will to slim)

My mother and I drink tea together. It has always been our comforting ritual. However in the past couple of years she has started drinking only Rooibos tea, whereas I am a Ceylon, or English Breakfast type of girl. So the ritual has changed. No longer do we drink from the same pot. The same pot, in which the tea first has to draw. The same pot, from which I always pour her cup first. We're traditional in that way. She may be my friend, but, as my mother, she is still afforded the respect of having her tea poured first. But now she insists on Rooibos, and so we have the 2-pot, 2-tea scenario which doesn't really do it for me. So I admit to sometimes making the tea in a mug, with the teabag seeping in it. The ritual has gone. And so has a little bit of the magic. Lately, she is trying to convert me to Rooibos tea, saying it's healthier. That it will aid fertility ( Huh? haven't heard that one before...) That it's anti-ageing. And so she tries to convince me and I stubbornly refuse to give in. It's not that I hate Rooibos tea, it's ok-ish. But it just doesn't fill the spot that a hot cup of strong Ceylon does. It simply doesn't comfort me in the same way.
But never one to give up, this past summer my mom introduced me to her version of Rooibos ice tea...
The recipe, dead easy, is one I'll share with you...
Brew a pot Rooibos tea. Then allow it to cool down, before pouring it into a large carafe filled with ice-cubes, fresh mint, some freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey to taste.
It is good. It's refreshing. And healthy. And is, I suppose a perfect summer's drink, if a large Gin & Tonic is out of the question. But am I a convert? Well, not exactly. I like it well enough, but never instead of a cup, of what I consider to be, Proper Tea.
But along came Bos. And suddenly I'm rethinking this whole Rooibos tea thing, because my mother never mentioned the magic word: Slimming. That word never came up. And it's the one that is (obviously) likely to spark my interest every time.
Recommended to me by my friend Jacqui, who has an eye for beautiful things, this version of Rooibos really excites me. Even without the gin or vodka spike. ( Although this bears considering on occasion). Bos is the ice tea Americans wish they had come up with. None of the dark, sugar-filled, tannin-laden stuff. This version does us proud. And in this instance the cliche does apply, Local IS lekker. Not only is the packaging sublime. (And we love packaging), but it tastes great. There are several versions. Although I'm hooked on the Slim, with lime and ginger. Magic ingredient Hoodia Gordonii, an indigenous plant used by the Bushmen used to suppress their hunger during long hunting trips, and which has the overfed Western world in an excited frenzy. Energy is the one flavoured with cranberry and has Guarana, Panax Ginseng and Ginkgo Biloba to give you some Get Up & Go, and Jacques swears it tastes better ( less sweet) than The One That Gives You Wings. So look out for it ( and the others in the range) in cafe's and bars. Just ask for Bos. It sort of sounds cool. Not at all as naff as asking for 'a nice cuppa'.
So I'll be buying Bos in bulk. To slim, mind you. Not to allow my mother yet another victory.

(If you don't want to confess to counting calories, just ask for the turquoise tin. They'll know. All the models will be drinking it)


3 comments:

  1. Hallo Sam, onverwags jou blog ontdek! sien uit om gereeld in te loer-geluk, groete vir julle van ons drie - huidiglik in Franse platteland. Colx

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  2. Hi Sam,
    Wat n Lekkkerrrr Blog!
    Sukkel op die oomblik om "Follower" te word,maar sal aanhou probeer. Gaan definitief die woord aan al my "kos vriendinne" versprei!

    Liefde groete,
    Linda Simpson

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  3. Dankie Linda! Sien nou eers jou boodskap.... waardeer dit baie. Hoop dinge gaan goed? Liefdegroete aan jou ook x

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