Happy Wednesday to my readers! To new visitors, thank you for stopping by the Civilian Tea Apprentice, I am glad to have you. If you like what you read, please add your email address where the (+ Follow) icon comes up and you can receive emails of new posts. This photograph is from the collection of yours truly. It is an homage to the famed 1865 quote from William Gladstone about beloved tea. I copied it below for you in case the photograph’s lighting makes it difficult to read:

If you are cold, Tea will warm you

If you are too heated, it will cool you

If you are depressed, it will cheer you

If you are excited, it will calm you

A short poem I like to keep in mind sometimes. Onward to the subject of honor, I bring you…

Today’s Tea: “Rooibos Vanilla” is a tisane, or caffeine free tea blended by The Gilded Teapot. The Gilded Teapot are “Dorset Tea Hunters” tea and coffee specialists based in Dorchester, Southwest England. To The Gilded Teapot—thank you so much for recently following me! I am flattered and deeply appreciate the support of the Gilded Teapot because I know the shop is a lovely experience boasting a friendly, knowledgeable staff and broad selection of excellent teas.

“Rooibos Vanilla” has a Rooibos base whose leaves are harvested (picked) from Rooibos trees of natively South African origin. According to http://www.organicfacts.net, the essential oil of vanilla has several health benefits: as an antioxidant it “neutralizes free radicals and protects the body from wear and tear.” Vanilla essential oil is an anti depressant and minor sedative because it “soothes all types of inflammation and hyperactivity in the systems of the body, including the respiratory, circulatory, digestive and nervous systems.” Vanilla essential oil can also be part of treatments to calm “anxiety, stress and hypersensitivity to allergens” (https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/vanilla-essential-oil.html).

Back to the tea itself, after the full five of three to five (3-5) minutes recommended steeping time, “Rooibos Vanilla” has a deep red color with gold undertones. The featured vanilla scent is salient, even from the leaves, greeting the drinker with alluring charm.

Upon first sip, the earthiness of the Rooibos carries the vanilla through to resolve and brighten the flavor. Earthiness here means a nutty, sometimes woodsy, fresh warmth that can become a touch bitter if over-steeped. Windhuk is a particular type of bold vanilla bean that enhances the true depth of vanilla tones in the flavor profile. For my taste, the cinnamon braids itself gently between the vanilla base and complements the bounciness of the mallow blossoms. Later into the cup, the vanilla matures in fullness and the mallow blossoms, yes like real marshmallows, sweeten and increase the peppy spirit of this blend nicely. I taste some quiet almond notes in the center of the fully brewed sip for a balanced, soft finish. The scent of the mallow blossoms reminds me of campfires, making s’mores and other treats with my family. So perhaps “Rooibos Vanilla” may conjure some nostalgic moments for you.

I would give “Rooibos Vanilla” a 5/5 for flavor balance and fireplace coziness. Because of the Rooibos tea base’ light body and spicy, yet comforting flavors “Rooibos Vanilla” could become part of any tea time in your day. Good snacking pairs might be shortbread or lemon and stem ginger biscuits. Since it is on the sweeter side, if entertaining, I recommend “Rooibos Vanilla” could be an unexpected, but rewarding dessert tea served with carrot or vanilla cakes, traditional English sticky toffee pudding or caramels to name a few options.

“Rooibos Vanilla” is a scrumptious concoction of deliberate vanilla flavors that is positively engaging for young children because of mallow blossoms. This tea may be easy to enjoy for new tea drinkers who might want to discover caffeine free options first in their tea adventures. To sample or purchase Rooibos Vanilla yourself please visit The Gilded Teapot’s website: http://www.thegildedteapot.com/shop/tea/fruit-herb/rooibos/rooibos-vanilla where a 100 gram bag of loose leaf tea is 4.50 British pounds or about $7.00.

Simplify Your Life with Thoreau: “I came to love my rows, my beans…They attached me to the earth…But why should I raise them? Only Heaven knows. This was my curious labor all summer—to make this portion of the earth’s surface, which had yielded only cinquefoil, blackberries, johnswort, and the like before, sweet wild fruits and pleasant flowers, produce instead this pulse” –Walden: Or Life in The Woods. Thoreau, Henry David. New York: Dover Thrift Editions, 1995. (100).

For Your Contemplation from my Antiquarian Manuscript Collection:

“ A delightful walk it was: for it was a pleasant afternoon in June, and their way lay through a deep and shady wood, cooled by the light wind which gently rustled the thick foliage, and enlivened by the songs of the birds that perched upon the boughs. The ivy and the moss crept in thick clusters over the old trees, and the soft green turf overspread the ground like a silken mat. They emerged upon an open park, with an ancient hall, displaying the quaint and picturesque architecture of Elizabeth’s time”

—Excerpt from The Pickwick Papers, a novel written by Charles Dickens

Dickens, Charles. The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Edition with frontispiece. London: Chapman and Hall Limited. (85)

Until next time, from one Apprentice to another, please have a positive week, rest and remember to Always make time for tea!