rooibos done right

hello there


a question which is asked of me nowhere near or as frequently as you might think is, look you see, which is the most superior tea on the market. there are, i suppose, reasons why this is the case. mostly i'd like to think it's that my origins and my penchant for Fortnum & Mason generally answer questions of this ilk, but i suppose really it's because few approach me with any form of question.

still, here we are. at present, and i'd like to make it quite clear that this is undoubtedly official an not just my opinion, the four leading types of tea in the world are :

1. Yorkshire Tea
2. Fortnum & Mason Tea
3. Fortnum & Mason Tea again
4. Tetley

it is with some delight and partial interest, then, that i see the incumbent forth placed tea has made a bold move in respect of using a lower down the league (but still popular) tea as part of an attempt to climb up the rankings somewhat. which it won't, but totes bless for trying.

yes, indeed. in an effort to climb north on the tea list, Tetley have looked south. some considerable distance south, as it happens, and have elected to use Rooibos, a celebrated South African tea, to boost their stature and status. and why not.

indeed Tetley was once a high ranking tea, perhaps second only to that one that had them smart monkeys in the adverts. but then, alas, Yorkshire Tea came along, and i discovered Fortnum & Mason. Tetley has, to an extent, abandoned its pride in being English as part of a plan to be some sort of "global brand" thing. so no, 4th is as high as they will get, but this move should see them cling to that position. unless, of course, that other lot go back to smart ads with monkeys in nappies in them.

considering my connections to and time spent in South Africa, am i anything of a fan of Rooibos tea? not really. it's a taste i came to appreciate over the years, but let's be honest - everything about Rooibos says healthy, nutrient rich and caffeine free. these are noble factors, for sure, but they are also ones which are odds with my ways.

tea, to me, should be builder's tea, served in an absolutely battered tin cup and drunk with your arse hanging out of your trousers. either that or it should be an exquisite, refined, delicate and fragile concern, at such times as when tea is made with Fortnum & Mason tea, served of course in priceless china and drunk with your pinkie finger stuck in the air.

well, jolly good luck to Tetley with this venture. as for an actual review of it, i would most certainly be happy to do so, should i remember as and when i get around to opening the box.




wees uitstekende mekaar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!