Birds do it, bees do it and never, ever, visit the zoo after lunch – you’ll find all the apes at it. Get enough of it and you’re on top of the world – too little and life is tough. You get less as you age, just when you need its benefits most. What am I talking about? Hush your filthy mind! It’s sleep, of course. Good sleep underpins good health, while lack of it is implicated in diabetes, depression, obesity and infertility. Insomnia affects 60% of adults. Waking up to a new day isn’t easy. Jitter-inducing espresso is a dehydrating, short term hit.
Reviewing tea is a new departure for me. I met Rosie of TeaTonics on Twitter and was intrigued by her story. A trip around South America, with biochemist partner Charles, inspired this Dorset based duo to formulate two special teas using some very unusual herbs. My lovely parcel arrived on my birthday.
I couldn’t wait to taste Laid Back Botanicals. My sleep is not what it used to be, mooching about at 4am, reading and even looking at screens. Tea, in Ireland, is a national habit – all hours of day and night ‘Ah, go on , you’ll have a cup’ means builder’s brew you could trot a horse across.
To bed I head, perfused with the healthy scent of innocent Hops that’d escaped the brewery, flowery elderflower, lavender, chamomile and exotic green rooibos. Delicious, evenly flavoured – delighted to report I don’t notice any strawy chamomile, a big bonus, I assure you. Would I sleep, perchance to dream? Within 20 minutes I waft off to sleep, like a kid 
after a day at the seaside. I wake in the morning. Daytime, no sign of 4am anywhere, the alarm going off! Bemused, I seek the antidote. If night was this good, ’twas time to see what Yerba Mate could do. Not an Aussie fist-bump greeting – pronounced ‘mátay’ by those of us who know these finer points – I love the name. Grown in Brazil and Paraguay it’s choc-a-bloc with antioxidants, boosted with rosehip, lemon, orange and grapefruit to deliver a metabolism-boosting kickstart to the day minus the caffeine drag. Undertones of peppermint remind me of happy Moroccan mornings without the sugar hit. Delicious – I blow my ration with just another cup. Sure, what’s the harm? It’s organic, botanical and blended by a biochemist! Works a treat, with added ginger for the 3pm slump, I discovered.
Quite simply, this pair of teas is perfectly designed to deliver on flavour and function. Careful blending translates into a unique, satisfying taste and mellifluous depth. They’re lovely for a ‘tea for two’ sharing experience.
Gift packs are available. A perfect calorie-free present for good nights …and great mornings.
http://www.teatonics.co.uk
info@teatonics.co.uk
@teatonics
