What is rooibos tea?

Rooibos tea is made from the Rooibos shrub (Asphalatus linearis), a legume with needle-like leaves.
The word Rooibos is African and is pronounced roy-bos, which comes from the Dutch word for red bush.

Rooibos tea is not a tea in the traditional sense of the word, as we know from tea made from the Camelia Sinensis plant.
It is therefore also known as African red tea, or red bush tea.
Among tea enthusiasts, Rooibos is not described as a ‘tea’ but as an herbal tea.

When brewed, this tea has a lovely aroma and a beautiful reddish brown color.
The leaves of the Rooibos bush are used to make the well-known red herbal tea.

Is Rooibos healthy and does it contain caffeine?

The leaves of the Rooibos bush, from which the tea is made, are high in vitamin C.
As the tea is not tea in the traditional sense, italso contains no caffeine.
It also has a low tannin content when compared to black and green tea.
The low tannin content means that when you brew the tea, you won’t get a feeling of dryness in your mouth.
In addition, Rooibos also contains antioxidants, including flavanols, which are thought to have health-promoting effects.

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How do you make rooibos?

The manufacturing process of how to make Rooibos is long.
Rooibos is fermented and dried in sunlight on large concrete dry floors.
These floors are protected from sand and dust blowing in by raised sides and in many cases windbreaks.
The rooibos is then transported to the manufacturing facility where it undergoes a sifting process to remove any foreign material.
The final product is then sterilized.
A comprehensive quality management system is also in place, with multiple tests (including by independent laboratories) to ensure that the Rooibos you receive is of the highest quality.

What is the best way to brew Rooibos?

Like any other tea or herbal tea, rooibos leaves must be brewed in hot water to produce a tea like beverage.
Rooibos is an herb and is therefore completely caffeine-free.
So it’s a popular alternative to traditional caffeinated drinks like green, white or black tea.

Smoky, sweet, woody, grassy, vanilla, floral, geranium, honey, herbal and caramel are just a handful of words to describe the taste of rooibos tea.

A good cup of rooibos only gets better if you brew it properly.
It can quickly become a science, but here are some general tips to get you started:

  • Use fresh, clean, cold filtered water.
    Spring water is best.
  • Rooibos is generally best brewed in boiled water at a temperature similar to a black tea or herbal tea, around 90 to 105 degrees.
  • If your rooibos tea came with specific recommendations for brewing, follow them.
    If not, a good rule of thumb is to use around 2 – 4 grams per cup of water.

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