As fall deepens and the mornings are increasingly brisk – ok, some of them feel freezing – a bit of warm fortification may be necessary to start the day.
For those who can’t tolerate caffeine and must rev up without the aid of the popular natural upper, there are plenty of caffeine-free herbal teas to help open your peepers on those gray, chilly days.
One recommendation: Tazo’s Wild Sweet Orange tea – or, as Tazo more accurately calls it, “herbal infusion,” because there’s no actual (caffeine-laden) tea in it.
Wild Sweet Orange has a big, bright, citrusy flavor that would be invigorating any time of year but is especially welcome when you can see your breath. Interestingly, the first ingredient listed on the box isn’t orange but lemongrass – followed by blackberry leaves, citric acid, rose hips, spearmint leaves, orange peel (aha! That’s where the orange taste comes from), color from turmeric and riboflavin, hibiscus flowers, natural flavor (I always wonder what kind of natural flavor, when this vague term shows up in long list of others mentioned by name), rose petals, natural orange essence, whatever that is, ginger root, licorice root, and licorice extract.
I was wary of the licorice items – black licorice is among my most-hated flavors, right up there with beets – but in this case the licorice must complement the other ingredients magically. There are no dark, icky licorice notes here, only a lovely blend of citrus, ginger and a lot of zesty floral flavor.
This tea works well with (or before or after) breakfast; after lunch as a perky palate-cleanser; in late afternoon to distract yourself from sugar cravings; or after dinner in place of heavy desserts. Tea freaks probably won’t need to sweeten this rich infusion. But if you must add a sweet edge to your herbal tea, Wild Sweet Orange goes nicely with honey or raw (turbinado) sugar. For snacking, try a mug of this tea with a pear, or with Greek yogurt topped with almonds and a drizzle of honey.
I found this particular Tazo flavor at Trader Joe’s store in south Corona, Calif. (in the Dos Lagos shopping center, at 2790 Cabot Drive, Corona, CA 92883; phone 951-603-0299). Many other food markets also carry Tazo teas, including Baron’s Marketplace in Wildomar, Calif. (at 32310 Clinton Keith Rd., 92595; phone 951-609-9200).
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