Marla Rose likes Iced Tea

Marla Rose is another Chicago vegan and one of the main organizers for Chicago VeganMania along with her husband, John. She's also the lady dressed like a cupcake on the website (and at the event)! She writes the awesome blog, Vegan Feminist Agitator in addition to being the Chicago Vegan Restaurant Examiner. She is a super upbeat and nice lady, unless you write something ignorant on the internet and then she will eloquently rip you to shreds. Yep, Marla is pretty darn cool.


The Vegan Thing She Likes is Iced Tea!

Maybe I’m weird that with all the great vegan stuff out there, I choose iced tea. As long as it’s not caffeinated, it’s fresh and there is plenty of ice, I am usually pretty content. (Oh, except for the ultra-fruity teas that taste very artificial or the ones that are supposed to mimic coffee or the ones that are just too wispy and unassertive. Okay, I am a pain.) As someone who almost literally bounces off walls after consuming anything with even the notion of caffeine in it, I am grateful for tall glasses of this stuff. It tastes the very best when my husband pours it for me: he balances the ice somehow like a staircase, the tea is just perfectly refreshing. Or maybe I’m just lazy and I want him to bring me tea. It’s my little secret.

I just happen to have the Trader Joe’s brand Organic Spiced Rooibos Ruby Red Chai here as I am on this particular kick - I am a serial monogamist with the iced tea that strikes my fancy until I move on to another and eventually wander back to teas I have left in the dust (they always forgive me) – and it is a good one. I like rooibos in general because it reminds me of a milder, smoother black tea and this one, flavored with cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and other aromatic spices, is great on its own, with an orange slice or lemon slice or even, if you’re feeling in the mood for a little decadence, dressed up with a glug of maple syrup and a few splashes of coconut milk creamer for a homemade iced tea latte. Mmm…

I spend most of my day writing and a glass of iced tea is my perfect companion. Occasionally the ice shifts and there’s a little clink as everything moves around but other than that, the iced tea is a perfectly silent, supportive companion. It makes me feel a little taken care of whether I’m in the throes of writer’s block or in the midst of a creative flow and is just another example of a lovely thing that happens to be vegan by nature.