Wonders of Tea

Rooibos has been a popular drink in South Africa since the early 1900’s and started to gain popularity in the US and UK for its health benefits. Whether its deserving of the reputation for being an ‘elixir of life’ is what I’m going to find out!

Rooibos is Afrikaans for “red bush” which is the name it often goes by in the US and UK such as…. It bears no relation to the Camellia Sinensis plant responsible for our beloved green and black teas.

Rooibos does contain high levels of antioxidants such as aspalathin and nothofagin which aren’t found in traditional Camellia Sinensis and with lower caffeine content and tanins it has fewer side effects common in very high levels of tea intake. Although its worth noting tea has quite low level of caffeine anyway and few people suffer caffeine related side effects from tea unless sensitive.

I did note in a previous post on which tea is healthiest that Rooibos contains just 60-80mg of antioxidants per cup compared to the whopping 300-450mg available in green tea. Even black tea that has gone through a heavy oxidation process has more than rooibos with 130-200mg per cup.

Although it has to be said that amount of antioxidants isn’t the only indicator of the health benefits of rooibos. With its lower caffeine and tannin content it can be a useful alternative to those suffering from caffeine sensitivity.

Rooibos tea also happens to be a nice tea to drink for its own sake! I won’t switch to it as my ‘tea’ of choice any time soon but its certainly one I now keep in my cupboards whenever wanting the occassional nutty and sweat red bush.

My Top 3 Rooibos Teas

1. 
   Tazo Tea African Red Bush
2. 
   Teavana Blueberry Infused Rooibos Tea
3. 
   Loose Leaf Adagio Rooibos

facts, health health, rooibos

Rooibos (Afrikaans for ‘red bush’) is a member of the legume family of plants, and is commonly used to make a tisane (herbal tea). Rooibos grows exclusively in the Cedarberg Mountain region and around Clanwilliam and Citrusdal, due to the specific climatic and geological conditions of the region).

Large-scale cultivation and industrial processing of the plant started during the 1930s. The leaves of the bush are harvested, bruised and finely chopped, wetted and left to ferment in rolls or mounds, finally they are dried in the sun. The fermentation process enriches the flavour and gives to the leaves their distinctive red colour (rooibos is often marketed as red tea). The resulting product is then boiled or steeped like tea to make a beverage that is enjoyed both hot and cold. In its native South Africa, many people consume it with milk, similar to the British tradition of drinking black tea with milk.

Personally I’m not a fan as it tastes…I can’t put my finger on it but its not my cup of tea.

facts rooibos