Benin

Benin

Today we are heading to the south coast of West Africa. Benin. Benin has a tiny coastline in the south. In fact, the southern provinces make up about 1/4 of the country's area, but hold 2/3 of the population. They were once a French colony, and French is the official language. They don't grow tea, but they do export coffee. However, that doesn't mean that they don't drink tea.

Popular Tea

Moringa - this is a plant from India that is used in both leaf and powder form in cooking. It is a popular tea around the west African region. According to the internet, it has also been dubbed a "super food" (eye roll).
Cassia - this is a tea that is brewed from a seed. According to the internet, this is marketed as a weight loss tea. That is always a red flag, so I did some more research. Apparently it is a powerful laxative when used "incorrectly". I think I'll steer clear.
Lipton with lemon and honey - pretty self explanatory. Lipton brand tea with a squeeze of lemon and some local honey.

I think you can guess what option I'm going with today.

Lipton with lemon and honey

Sometimes simplicity is best. It's a pretty easy setup. Tea bag, a "fresh lemon" (they have been really expensive this year, and this stuff gets pretty good reviews for being bottled lemon juice), and honey if desired.
Boil water, and plunk in tea bag. Steep for 5 minutes. I like to watch the color drift down as it steeps.
Then I removed the tea bag and added some lemon juice. It turns out that lemon juice makes the color lighter (although I didn't take before and after pictures).
You can also add honey if you want, and enjoy!



Comments

  1. Poppy CrockerSeptember 10, 2017 at 7:27 AM

    Maybe we're allergic to superfoods. I get the same eye rolling reaction when I read about them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lace makerSeptember 10, 2017 at 10:12 AM

      I wish more people had that reaction so the superfood thing would go away.

      Delete

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