It's Not Just A Tea.....It's A Lifestyle! (Redbush Tea)

Member Name: vc81

Product:	Redbush Tea
Date:	13/07/06 (4424 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Unique taste; plethora of health benefits; multiple uses

Disadvantages: Some may find the taste too unusual

Redbush tea, or rooibos as it is more commonly known, is an age old drink from South Africa, which is revered for its unique flavour and plethora of health benefits. It is an ideal beverage for the modern health conscious world. Although it is just beginning to catch on here, in its native South Africa rooibos tea holds 40% of the hot drinks market, and the average South African is reputed to drink around 5-6 cups per day.


WHAT IS REDBUSH TEA?

The hardy redbush shrub, Aspalathus linearis, grows only in the scenic Cederberg Mountains in the Western Cape of South Africa. The species has specially adapted to the unique conditions of this arid and nutrient devoid region, and attempts to grow it anywhere else have been unsuccessful. Due to the harsh conditions, the average redbush plant only produces three or four crops in its lifetime.

For many centuries rooibos was used as a herbal medicine by the indigenous KhoiSan people. They harvested the thin needle-like leaves with axes, bruising them with hammers to bring out the flavour, and fermenting the leaves in heaps, before drying in the sun. The tea is still harvested by hand in the same way today, although a mechanical purification process has been added.

Traditional methods are also still used to collect the seeds. They are either hand picked from the plants or stolen from ants nests who have gathered them as a food source. Thankfully the method of extracting the seeds from the stomachs of trapped kelkiewyn birds, a kind of sand grouse, is no longer practised.


THE HEALTH BENEFITS

Despite the low yield of the redbush plants, they receive no fertiliser, are not genetically modified and are grown in an ecologically sound environment. The resulting tea is kept completely natural without additives, preservatives or added colouring. However, the real health benefits arise with the constituents of the tea.

Unlike other teas, rooibos is naturally caffeine free, so there is no chance of side-effects such as irritability, anxiety, headaches, insomnia, increased blood pressure and gastric problems. Rooibos also contains less than half the tannin of black tea (Camellia sinensis). Tannin can diminish the body’s ability to absorb and store essential iron and proteins, which are especially essential for growing children and women. Tannin is responsible for the bitter taste of other teas, so there is little need to add sugar to rooibos, therefore reducing the risk of tooth decay. Redbush also does not contain any free sugars, and in fact recent research shows it may even prevent tooth decay.

Rooibos is rich in anti-oxidants, including flavonoids, which have anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory properties and protect against free-radical damage which can lead to cancer and heart disease. Quercetin, one of rooibos’ chief flavonoids, improves the efficacy of Vitamin C, and also has extraordinary anti-allergenic properties which inhibit the release of histamines on exposure to allergens, so reducing the symptoms of allergies such as hay fever. The average 150ml cup of rooibos contains about 1.5mg of quercetin. The flavonoids also have hypotensive and anti-thrombitic actions, and rooibos is often clinically prescribed in South Africa to lower blood pressure, as well as to relieve the symptoms of various abdominal ailments including colic, diverticulitis, diarrhoea, vomiting, indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome. Men have found drinking rooibos tea can ease the pain and inflammation associated with prostatitis and women have found the tea aids cystitis. Rooibos also contains very low levels of oxalic acid, which is involved in the development of kidney stones, so it is an ideal beverage for people prone to this affliction. In Japan, rooibos is promoted in anti-ageing products. It is believed that around 5 cups of rooibos a day are adequate to see health improvements.

Rooibos is also a popular sports drink and rehydration fluid due to its nine trace minerals:
Average mineral content in 200ml cup:
Iron (Fe) - 0.07mg
Potassium (K) - 7.12mg
Zinc (Zn) - 0.04mg
Manganese (Mn) - 0.04mg
Copper (Cu) - 0.07mg
Calcium (Ca) - 1.08mg
Sodium (Na) - 6.16mg
Magnesium (Mg) - 1.57mg
Fluoride (F) - 0.22mg

However, rooibos tea is much more than just a mere drink. It is a well trusted remedy for many skin conditions, soothing inflammation and itching without being irritating or drying to the skin and with no known side effects. Tea can be added to bath water, or a tea bag soaked in warm water can be applied topically to help conditions such as eczema, acne, psoriasis and nappy rash. When left to dry on the skin, up to 60% of the tea’s minerals and phenyl pyretic acid, a common constituent of dermatological therapeutic and beauty preparations, can be absorbed. It is therefore recommended for daily skin care, and the Redbush Tea Company even produce a handmade redbush soap (£2.45 for 110g). The tea can also be used as a hair rinse for itchy scalp and to add shine to darker hair colours. The Redbush Tea Company’s website (www.redbushtea.com) contains recipes for face packs, skin toners and body masques, all made with the tea and reaping its health benefits.


THE TASTE

According to the Redbush Tea Company, the average person brews their tea for 8 seconds. This is no where near long enough for redbush tea. The company advise leaving the bag to brew for at least three minutes to extract the full flavour, colour and aroma, but I always leave my bag in the cup as I drink it. Due to the delicate nature of the tea, the flavour never becomes overpowering or bitter, just more delicious as it strengthens.

As with most teas boiling hot water should be used, with one tea bag per cup. As soon as the water hits the tea bag, a tantalising rush of deep red engulfs the cup. The aroma, encased in steam is delicate and earthy, with overtones of dried grass and rotting tree bark. This may not sound enticing, but it is a pleasant natural bouquet. The taste is very unusual, and certainly vastly different from bitter black tea, and many powerful flowery herbal teas. The base of the flavour is the earthiness present in the aroma, coupled with a nutty overtone. It is a subtle flavour, which leaves no real aftertaste, but is extremely light and refreshing. Rooibos is certainly an acquired taste. I find it most delicious when taken unadulterated, but some drinkers like to add milk or sugar to taste. A little honey or a slice of lemon can be added for variation. When compared with the other leading brands of rooibos tea, such as Lipton, I find The Redbush Tea Company’s Tea to be smoother and a little sweeter.

Rooibos is a suitable tea to drink at anytime of the day, although I find it most satisfying at breakfast or after a meal. As it contains no caffeine, it is also a perfect tea to drink before going to bed. I have been drinking this for years and even before I discovered the in depth nature of all the health benefits associated with the tea, I always felt a sense of bon vivier after drinking it. It’s especially good in the summer as a thirst quencher, when black tea is a bit too heavy, and after a large meal. Rooibos is also tasty iced, or if used in cocktails and milkshakes to create unusual flavours. Redbush tea can also be used to replace liquid ingredients in cooking, bringing the wonderful flavours, rich colour, plus those all-important health benefits to meals. I like to soak dried fruits in rooibos, before adding them to cakes or traditional South African dishes such as bobotie, and I have used it’s natural meat-tenderising properties as part of a marinade for barbequeing.

Everything about The Redbush Tea Company’s rooibos exudes health and environmental awareness. The boxes are produced from managed sustainable forests, and along with the individual bag papers is non-chlorine bleached.

The Redbush Tea Company also produces flavoured teas, including lemon myrtle, which possesses anti-microbial and immuno-stimulating properties; spiced redbush with cardamom and fennel, which aids digestion; and apple redbush. They also offer Organic Redbush, which is produced from the finest 10% of the crop, and unlike the other plants is not sprayed with pesticides twice per year, as well as loose tea.


FURTHER INFORMATION

When purchasing Redbush Tea, not only is the consumer directly benefiting from this wonderful product of nature, they are directly supporting the small Cederberg farming communities who produce this unique tea. In return The Redbush Tea Company fund a variety of education projects in Southern Africa such as providing rural schools with equipment and training local educators.

The Redbush Tea Company
Churchill House
142-146 Old Street
London
EC1V 9BW

Stockists: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose.com, Safeway.co.uk, Blenders, Holland&Barrett, Booths, Budgens, Keith Spicer, Morrisons, The Health Store, Nature’s Store, Suma, or purchase online at:

http://www.redbushtea.com/

Price £3.15 for 80 bags from online store (3.9p per cup).

Highly recommended!

© 2005 (2006) V.L. Collyer

Summary: A tea that is deliciously unusual, health-improving and ethically produced.