If you’re not drinking rooibos tea yet, you probably will be by summer’s end. According to Slate, rooibos tea’s the next yuppie trend — which would make organic rooibos tea the next eco-yuppie trend.

Slate’s article points out that as with many newly popular health foods, many of rooibos’ oft-touted health benefits are overblown. But the herbal tea grown in South Africa is rich in antioxidants and rich in nutty flavor too — making it one of my favorite coffee substitutes. And thanks to rooibos’ growing popularity, I got a bunch of organic rooibos samples to taste and compare. Here’s how four different rooibos stacked up:

Choice Organic Teas Rooibos Superfruit
Cost: 1 box of 16 tea bags costs $4.99

Want a citrus kick in your rooibos tea? Choice gives you just that choice, since this tea comes infused with orange and orange oil — as well as organic apple, hibiscus, rosehips, and schizandra berry. Plus, as a benefit to tea-drinking do-gooder types, this tea’s fair trade certified and also supports the Jane Goodall Institute. Unfortunately, I wasn’t actually a fan of the tea. The fruity flavors were barely noticeable — but made the tea less rich and slightly sour, making this my least favorite rooibos tea of the bunch.

Equal Exchange Organic Rooibos Tea
Cost: 1 box of 20 tea bags costs $4.50

For a pure, plain, rooibos tea that’s affordable too, go for Equal Exchange. This rooibos tea brews up clean and crisp and has a deliciously rich red color. Plus, this fair trade tea is grown by small-scale farmers that form the democratically-organized Wupperthahal Origiinal Rooibos Cooperative.
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After 20 years of addiction, I’ve finally quit coffee — and developed a raging addiction to green tea.

The addiction swap-out, apparently, means great eco-benefits. According to GOOD, a cup of coffee requires 37 gallons of water to make (from growing the coffee, etc.) — while a cup of tea requires just 9 gallons.

That isn’t why I quit coffee though. Though GOOD’s chart compares somewhat similar choices we make in everyday life, I don’t think the lower water use option is necessarily always the choice you “should” make. If it were, we should eat oranges (13 gallons) and shun apples (18 gallons), and always opt of beer (20 gallons) over wine (31 gallons). A healthy, eco-friendly diet, though, requires variety — and in my opinion, a fun factor that makes room for individual taste. Picking fair trade coffee — or an organic apple — seems to me more eco-effective than always going for tea or oranges.

But now I really am always going for green tea over coffee. Why? I finally realized coffee was making me a more anxious, less even-keeled person.

I’d been drinking coffee daily since sixth grade, so I thought my anxiety levels and daily energy highs and crashes were just part of my nature. Coffee was just a normal, daily habit — a morning routine I looked forward to. Until recently, I started each day with three cups of French-pressed organic fair trade coffee — and couldn’t function without it. In fact, when I started my personal green blog, its main focus was coffee — fair trade, organic coffee, to be specific. I did lots of coffee reviews, interviewed movers and shakers in the fair trade coffee world, achieved some eco-notoriety for co-starting a Starbucks Challenge for fair trade coffee, and gave advice on drinking the most eco-ethical cup of coffee.

But about a year ago, when I complained about low-grade anxiety, low energy in the afternoons, and some trouble falling asleep at night, a doctor recommended that I try cutting back my daily habit to just two cups of coffee.

So I did. The result? (more…)

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Did you know yesterday was National Mai Tai Day? It’s been just over a year since I’ve had an alcoholic drink, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a Mai Tai — or any other frou frou cocktail. Sometime in my twenties, I decided those sugary, high-calorie drinks just weren’t worth the calories — or hangovers.

But I love the idea of tropical fruity cocktails — which still make me think of a deliciously decadent beach vacation (ah, the power of advertising). And this week, I’m rediscovering the taste of these treats — minus the sugar, fat and alcohol. How? Zhena’s Gypsy Tea.

This organic, fair trade company — which made me really sad by no longer making its delicious biodynamic green teas — is back with a perfect-for-summer tea line: Tropical green teas.

My favorite so far: Coconut Rum. Just pour hot water over this pretty sachet and you’ll be greeted with a luxurious coconut-meets-pineapple flavor, spiked with a hint of rum. It’s like a summer indulgence — with green tea antioxidants! I also liked the Berry Bellini — a more tart, fruity brew made with organic apples, orange and lemon peel, raspberries, and peach flavor.

I discovered those two at Evolue’s fundraiser party for Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetic safety database earlier this week — and I’m already looking forward to trying out the other three flavors: Mojito Mint, Strawberry Kiwi, and Papaya Mango. Want to try one of these cocktail-teas yourself? A tin of 22 sachets costs $6.99.

Earlier: Tasty teas — that are fair trade and organic too

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Some love maca for its alleged libido-boosting effects. I just love the stuff because it’s sweet and yummy — especially when combined with chocolate. My favorite way to eat maca? Biting into the Chocolate Maca Chunk bar from Lulu’s Chocolate.

I discovered this organic, raw, vegan, handcrafted raw chocolate at Lightning in a Bottle, when I stopped by the Lulu’s Chocolate booth (below). Inside, visitors were invited to sit on cushions, sampling bites of the chocolates along with free tea.

After tasting the Chocolate Maca Chunk, I had to buy it. The bar brings together the best parts of two other Lulu’s Chocolate bars — The Maca Love Bar with its sweet maca taste and the Aztec Crunch with its high chocolate content and crunchy cacao nibs. Combined, they make the Chocolate Maca Chunk — a dreamy, melt-in-your-mouth raw treat made with 13 percent maca and 62 percent cacao, sweetened with Coconut Secret coconut crystals, and flavored with organic mesquite, vanilla bean, and sea salt.

The bars are smaller than most chocolate bars — which I think “right-sizes” the snack to prevent overindulging — though after finishing a bar, I immediately wanted more! Each 1-ounce bar has 142 calories. And all that yumminess comes wrapped in compostable natureflex with a recycled paper sleeve.

I regretted not buying more bars while at Lightning in a Bottle, but luckily found the bars again after I got home — this time at Erewhon, a popular natural foods store in Los Angeles! You can also find the bars at Euphoria Loves Rawvolution in Santa Monica — or buy them at Lulu’s Chocolate’s online store for $4.44 each.

Earlier:
>> Nicobella Munch: Get your organic, vegan, fair trade chocolate snack fix
>> Try new superfoods — or enjoy Raw Maqui Fudge Truffles

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I’ve always loved everything coconutty — so I’m lucky that pretty much everything coconuts happens to be in favor with eco-foodies and nutritionists alike right now, which means lots of delicious coconut products are popping up on store shelves. Even coconut oil, much maligned in the past due to the over-processed, hydrogenated stuff that appeared as trans fats in cheap processed foods, has been resurrected as a healthier oil — if enjoyed in its delicious, unrefined form.

My favorite brand for coconut oil right now? Kelapo virgin coconut oil. It’s been my go-to oil since the company sent me a sample to try a while back. Kelapo’s coconut oil’s not only pure and unrefined but also certified organic and fair trade — and packaged in glass jars, unlike most of the plastic-wrapped coconut oils you’ll find in stores.

I know a lot of health foodies like to cook and bake with coconut oil, since it has a higher burning point than more common cooking oils like canola or olive oil. But I actually like to just eat coconut oil raw — in my morning green smoothies. The mellow nutty and creamy flavor makes the entire drink more decadent and delicious.

I’m not sure whether it’s due to the glass container or the oil itself, but Kelapo virgin coconut oil seems to have a lower melting point than other coconut oil brands I’ve tried. Now that the weather’s warm, my jar of coconut oil’s often an almost clear liquid! This actually makes smoothifying the oil better for me, since the liquid oil blends easier than solid chunks of coconut oil, which sometimes don’t always blend smooth if you’re using a regular blender (versus a Vitamix or other high-speed blender).

Here’s my favorite recipe for coconut oil, which I came up with to stay healthy and cool with this summer:

Cool Tropical Green Smoothie
1/2 – 1 c. coconut water, to taste
1 – 2 c. pineapple chunks (I like the fair trade ones from Whole Foods)
4 or so romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 to 1 cucumber, depending on size
2 tsp. coconut oil

Put all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend and enjoy! Okay — The photo of my smoothie looks kind of boring, but the green drink actually is packed with tropical flavor. Use more coconut water for a juicier drink, more fruits and veggies for a more filling smoothie.

The one downside of Kelapo virgin coconut oil? The stuff isn’t in a lot of stores yet (closest to L.A. is Pacific Ranch Market in Orange). But you can get the oil online — or try your chance at winning a Kelapo prize pack by sharing your best kitchen klutz story on the company’s blog today!

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