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Ah, the Tea-Totaler’s first look at an herbal tea. This week we discuss rooibos, the popular South African herbal infusion.
Rooibos – pronounced roy-boss or roy-bosch – also known as rooibosch, rositea, red bush or simply red tea – although some black teas are also called this – is made from the leaf of Aspalathus linoaris. Rooibos is currently only cultivated in a small region of western South Africa. It has been consumed there for generations, having been collected from the wild by the Khoisan people long before the arrival of Westerners. Production of the plant began in the mid-1900s, and lately has acquired a wide recognition in the world market.
The leaves are prepared in much the same way regular teas are, through oxidation. Allegedly, there is also such thing as “green rooibos,” which is rooibos leaf but not oxidized. Regrettably, I have never seen such a thing, though I would buy it in a heartbeat even though it is said to be more expensive. A cup of rooibos is prepared in essentially the same way as black tea, except that steeping more than five minutes may be preferred. In fact, I’ve found that you simply cannot over-steep this stuff. It just gets darker and darker without a hint of bitterness.
Rooibos is sold either unblended or with other ingredients, like chai spices or flowers. Generally, I prefer the unblended versions. The flavor is almost sweet, quite rich and not as abrasive as regular teas. The rich red color is also nice. Some find that it blends well with milk, but I prefer to have it plain, though admittedly, I like all teas unadulterated. However, I understand the reason some people add sweeteners to regular teas is that they often can be strong and bitter. It is a relative sweetness that certainly distinguishes rooibos from the rest of the crowd.
How else is rooibos distinct from other teas? According to “The Tea Companion: A Connoisseur’s Guide” by Jane Pettigrew, rooibos “is rich in vitamin C, mineral salts, and proteins,” as well as high in antioxidants and low in tannins, a combination not found in any other popular teas. Perhaps more importantly, rooibos is caffeine-free. Looking for that strong, deep tea flavor without staying up for hours? Rooibos is the place to be.
There are a number of blends and variations of rooibos that I and a few of my friends have come to love lately. While I have been wary of rooibos blends in the past – due to a bad experience with buying a whole box of “red tea” from Good Earth that actually had a slew of other rooibos-masking spices that I had to give the whole box away out of disappointment – I recently purchased a rooibos-chocolate mint blend from the bulk goods section at Natural Living Center. The fine mixture of chocolate-flavored mint leaves with traditional rooibos only highlighted the taste of both. I had some friends over and it disappeared in no time. There is a certain cult following of another Natural Living Center blend that has the distinct and amazing smell of pink lemonade. It is likely the same “Pink Lemonade” blend offered by Tea-Co, which is a blend of rooibos, red raspberry leaf, hibiscus, calendula, rose hips, lemon myrtle, lemongrass and natural raspberry flavor. While it smells just like pink lemonade, the actual taste has more of the rooibos coming through the cracks, despite all of the other additions. Finally, another variation comes from a friend who tells me that she has used an espresso maker to make super-concentrated rooibos. While I’ve never tried it before, this apparently is somewhat popular in coffee shops in South Africa, where “red espresso” is used as a substitute for the regular coffee espressos.
Next time the Tea-Totaler will look at mysterious maté, the sensational South American all-day-extravaganza!
Bangor Daily News