Rooibos Natural

Water Quantity

200 ml

Tea Quantity

1 tbs / 2 grams

Water Temperature

100 °C

Steeping Time

7-10 minutes

Short History: Rooibos also known as the red bush or ,,rooi bos'' (Afrikaans), is coming from a plant called scientifically Aspalathus linearis.Archaeological records suggest that Aspalathus linearis could have been used thousands of years ago, but that does not imply rooibos tea was made in precolonial times.The earliest available ethnobotanical records of rooibos tea originate in the late 19th century and apparently, rooibos tea is a traditional drink of Khoi-descended people of the Cederberg (and "poor whites"). It was known that rooibos is a traditional drink of Khoi descended people of the Cederberg but there is nodocumentation of that tradition way back than 19th century. The local people used to climb the mountains and cut the fine needle-like leaves from wild rooibos plants. They then rolled the bunches of leaves into hessian bags and brought them down the steep slopes using donkeys. The tea was then processed by beating the material on a flat rock with a heavy wooden pole or club or a large wooden hammer.
In 1904, South African businessman, also referred to as 'the father of the rooibos industry,Benjamin Ginsberg ran a variety of experiments at Rondegat Farm and finally cured rooibos.The major hurdle in growing rooibos commercially was that farmers could not germinate the rooibos seeds. The seeds were hard to find and impossible to germinate commercially as they needed time to grow and the process in wilderness takes time which no one is concerned about.By the late 1920s, growing demand for the tea had led to problems with supply of the wild rooibos plants. Him and his partner, a medical doctor named Pieter le Fras Nortier, managed to cultivate the plants by doing a lot of experiments and trying to introduce a cultivated variety of rooibos to be raised on appropriately-situated land. Nortier worked on cultivation of the rooibos species in partnership with the farmers Oloff Bergh and William Riordan and with the encouragement of Benjamin Ginsberg.Nortier's research was ultimately successful, and he subsequently showed all the local farmers how to germinate their own seeds. The secret lay in scarifying the seed pods. Nortier placed a layer of seeds between two mill stones and ground away some of the seed pod wall. Thereafter the seeds were easily propagated. Over the next decade the price of seeds rose to £80 per pound, the most expensive vegetable seed in the world, as farmers rushed to plant rooibos. Today, the seed is gathered by special sifting processes. Nortier is today accepted as the father of the rooibos tea industry.

About Rooibos tea:Rooibos is usually grown in the Cederberg, a small mountainous area in the West Coast District of the Western Cape province of South Africa.The distinctive reddish-brown colour of rooibos and enhances the flavour are results of the oxidation process. Green rooibos is a variety of rooibos as well, but the last one is more expansive and it has different properties and as well a more malty and grassy flavour then red one.Rooibos is commonly prepared as a tisane by steeping in hot water and the infusion is consumed on its own or flavoured by addition of milk, lemon, sugar or honey. It is also served as lattes, cappuccinos or iced tea.

Food pairing: usually works good with fresh fruits like peaches, berries, oranges and fruit tarts, but as well lavander,figs or gin tonic.

Origin: South Africa

Tea Type: Rooibos

Taste flavour: full body beverage, strong, earthy flavour with a natural sweetness and a smooth nutty taste.

Caffeine: caffeine free

Number of servings: use 1 tbs/ 2 grams per cup -50 grams pouch =25 cups

Using with: glass infuser mug, teapot with infuser, infuser & strainers, paper filer bag.

Preparation: 1 tbs loose tea -into an infuser/pot/paper tea bag
200 ml water boild at 100 degrees

Infusing time: 7-10 minutes

Ingredients: Rooibos tea. Suitable for vegans and vegetarians;