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This week at Herbal Infusions we’re going to continue our focus on healthy teas with a strain that is growing rapidly in popularity throughout the western world. Rooibos tea has become very big ever since baristas found a new way to prepare it. Coffee shops in South Africa have begun serving “Red Espresso”, Rooibos tea concentrated and served in the style of an espresso. In addition to this very cool preparation style, Rooibos tea is also rich in those antioxidants we love so much (for more information on antioxidants, read our blog on Lapacho Tea).

Rooibos tea is grown in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Rooibos is Afrikaans for “red bush”, so named because Rooibos tea leaves naturally oxidize giving it a red colouring. This oxidization is often inaccurately referred to as “fermentation”, which has lead to a lot of confusion for consumers. It is possible to find unoxidized Rooibos tea with a green colouration and subtly different flavour. The production process is much more demanding though, which makes the tea more expensive and hard to acquire.

Rooibos tea has a malty flavour with grassy undertones. Green variants tend to have a stronger emphasis on the grassy undertones, giving them a stronger and richer flavour. Typically Rooibos tea is prepared with milk and sugar for flavour. However, for those health conscious folks among us there other methods of preparation: either use honey instead of sugar or add just a slice of lemon and no milk.

As said above, Rooibos tea is another very healthy tea. It is rich in antioxidants as well as low in tannins. Tannins are a plant’s natural deterrent against herbivores. They inhibit digestion and with excessive consumption can cause bowel irritation or liver damage. For most people, while no individual food will push us over the brink into over consumption, it is recommended that you limit tannins wherever possible. Finally, Rooibos tea has another use enabled by its slick new preparation technique.

Rooibos can help wean you off coffee.

Caffeine addiction is one of the most prolific addictions of the 21st century. Hyper-caffeinated energy drinks have made us much more aware of the drug’s harmful effects. These effects mostly revolve around a dependency on caffeine. Coffee drinkers will know exactly what this means: Skip your morning coffee and see how you feel. The lack of caffeine makes you anxious, sloppy and headachy. Because of this, many people are looking to cut caffeine from their diets as much as possible. A great way to do this is to simply replace your afternoon coffee with a cup of Red Espresso. Prepared and served just like an espresso, with a similarly strong flavour, Red Espresso can act almost like a coffee patch.
For more information, read up on Rooibos tea and Red espresso.

Or, browse our online store to see the Rooibos mixes we have available.