Not my cup of (insipid) tea
PROUST used to dunk his favourite madeleine cakes in lime tea, while Beatrix Potter sent Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail to bed with a pot of camomile.
But I’m still to be persuaded by the healing powers of herbal infusions that smell of grass mowings, boiled sweets or cats running amok in a mint patch.
Fresh hell is on the way, though: this week I came across my first box of Up Beet, an energising blend of ginger and beetroot. It seems beetroot tea is known for its nerve-calming effects: Belarus President Lukashenko credits it with adding 100m to his rifle sniping range.
For us peaceniks, the target consumer seems to be people who wish that tea was more like salad, and tasted like wet car keys. The health benefits of herbal tea seem to be mostly negative. If you’re drinking a mug of rosehip and raspberry, then you’re not assaulting your nervous system with more powerful stimulants and depressants such as coffee, tea and alcohol.
So here’s a recession-busting tip: make your own herbal tea at home by using ordinary tea bags three or four times, drying them out and putting them in a brightly-coloured box – none of the caffeine, some of the great taste of tea.