Table of Contents
What is Rooibos?
Rooibos, also known as “red tea” or “red bush tea” is a famous South African beverage made by infusing the leaves of the rooibos plant. The resulting beverage has a distinct reddish-brown color and has a mild, sweet, fruity taste. Solely grown in the Cedarberg region of Cape Town, South Africa, asphalatus linearis (its scientific name) has various health benefits that made it popular to many countries around the world. If you are looking for benefits of herbal teas then just take a look at that post as there are lots of other herbal mixes that can really help out your body, but enough of that this post is all about rooibos!
How do we get Rooibos?
Harvesting rooibos usually occurs in the summer. After harvesting by hand, the leaves are torn into very tiny pieces. Then, the leaves are bruised and allowed to ferment. After fermentation, the leaves are left to dry and then sifted to create high quality leaves.
Rooibos can be brewed from tea bags or from loose leaves. In making the perfect cup of rooibos, boiling water is necessary. The resulting beverage can be drunk plain, sweetened with your choice of sugar or honey, and can be added with milk. It is also great served ice cold and is perfect when mixed with other fruit juices and in creating cocktail mixes. In fact, bottled rooibos preparations are available in stores which are ready to drink.
Does Rooibos have caffeine?
Unlike other herbal teas, there is no caffeine in rooibos mixes. Therefore, it can be drunk at any time of the day, even at night or right before bedtime. It is also safe to be drunk by children and you can drink rooibos while pregnant . In fact, it is used by the South Africans as a treatment to infant colic.
Beverages which contain caffeine mostly contain tannins. Coffees and true teas contain certain amounts of tannins, chemicals which block the absorption of calcium. rooibos is very low in tannins; therefore, it does not block the absorption of calcium in the body. Rooibos is also rich in antioxidants, a potent chemical which help fight cancer and prevent aging. It also helps prevent chronic diseases associated with aging.
Conclusion
With its unique qualities and numerous health benefits, rooibos is truly one of a kind. When it comes to natural herbal teas, now you know who the boss is. It’s rooibos!