MOCHA ROCHA

Prepare yourself for a tea that celebrates Ethiopia's place as the crossroads of African cooperation. Ethiopia aside from producing some of the world's finest coffees is the headquarters of the African Union an organization that promotes relationships between the independent states of the continent. So an herbal concoction blending Rooibos from South Africa with the smooth mocha flavor of Ethiopian Coffee seems highly fitting. This blend is truly native to the African continent. Rooibos a pine tree like bush found in the Cederberg district of South Africa is in fact only found in that country. The bush which in Afrikaans means red bush is grown commercially nowhere else on earth making it a true African original. As for the coffee component it is believed that the popular beverage (globally still not as popular as tea!) was discovered in Ethiopia. Legend maintains that an ancient goat herder living in the region of Kaffa in what was then known as Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) discovered his goats running about full of energy after eating the ripe red berries of some nearby trees. The trees came to be known as Kafa trees after the region where they were found a name that served as the root word of coffee. South Africa...Ethiopia...but we still have one more country to add to the cooperative. Yemen. While Yemenese coffees haven't actually been used in the blend the word mocha hails from Yemen. The term stems from the Arabic al-Mukh a port city on the Red Sea. From the 15th to the 17th Century al-Mukh was home to a major coffee market. As coffee was shipped around the ancient world people began to refer to it as al-Mukh coffee which over time became mocha. So quite an exotic African blend we have for you here. And how does it taste? In a word amazing. Rich and full-bodied the cup displays herbaceous undertones simmering beneath layers of roasted coffee and sweet notes of chocolate and caramel.