Flash in the Pan

I didn't think of Businessweek as a source of dining information, but it turns out to have an eating and drinking column. This week it covers red espresso, actually Rooibos tea made from a legume found only in South Africa [UDDATE - I originally had types America, showing that I should have had more of something before typing, and thanks to the person who wrote in pointing out the error]. Apparently it's being marketed as a non-coffee espresso, like the Postem of the latte crowd. According to David Kiley, stick with the real brew and save the Rooibos for actual tea, hot or, where it is exceptional, cold:

If you are a tea drinker, and you do not drink coffee because you don't care for the taste, red espresso may appeal to you. I drink a lot of tea and a considerable amount of espresso. I have no objection to coffee or caffeine. Indeed, I'd go so far as to say I need a cup of coffee a day. So, for me, red espresso brewed to take the place of espresso joins that list of stuff that doesn't hit my taste buds well, such as Postum, lite mayonnaise, Diet Coke, NutraSweet, Lactaid Milk, nonalcoholic beer, and "yogurt" made from tofu.

Supposedly the person who invented this did so because he found himself drinking six shots of espresso a day. Good lord.

If I were brewing tea, though, I'd probably stick to a fuller cut leaf and not something pulverized. That would be like using a cheap tea bag.

Labels: coffee, espresso, tea