By Rose Basu-Brown
Tea is a big part of Indian culture. Every time I went to go visit the Indian and Bangladeshi part of my family, they always served some type of tea. Rooibos is not an Indian tea strain -- it's actually South African.
When my parents split, my dad began to increase his tea intake, likely because tea is very calming and anxiety runs in my family. My dad would always stock up on rooibos tea. It was his go-to type of tea. He always had a sweet tooth and he loved it because you could put in lots of sugar and milk and it would taste good without curdling. 
There was never a lot of flavourful food in his apartment cupboards. Mr. Noodles, spaghetti, and more typical bland dad foods. He may not be able to cook, but he can make amazing tea. Every night me and my little brother spent in that apartment he would make us rooibos tea. We’d take our cups of tea and watch Dragons' Den. It was the most calming moment life had to offer us.
About 2 years ago we moved in with my stepmom. Her home is like a maze, due to the sheer size of it. It’s spotless and perfect. This type of luxury was something I was and still am slightly uncomfortable with. However, to this day, every time I visit my dad, he offers me a cup of tea. ​
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You will need:
-A cup
-A tea bag (already filled) or the loose leaf rooibos (preferably from David’s tea)
-Milk (Regular or Almond/Alternative)
-Sugar 
-A spoon
-A kettle or any pot to boil water
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​Instructions:
1.Fill up kettle to desired amount of  water
2.Sit kettle on warm stove top 
3. Open up tea bag and pour lots of rooibos into the bag
​4. As the water boils, place your tea bag into the cup 
5.Once boiling, pour water into cup 
6.Let rooibos tea steep for a few minutes
7.Remove tea bag 
8.Pour in desired amount of milk (in my family it’s a lot) 
9.Pour in desired amount of sugar (in my family it’s a lot)
10.Stir your tea