The health benefits of Red Bush (rooibos) tea (Redbush Tea)

Member Name: larsbaby

Product:	Redbush Tea
Date:	05/10/07 (424 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good for you and caffeine free

Disadvantages: Possibly an acquired taste

FIRST SIGHT

I was first introduced to Redbush tea a couple of years ago while spending some time working in Boston. A cousin owns a coffee shop there, and during the course of my shameless poncing of free beverages, along with a slice of some nice lemon cake he served me some tea which he described as "African bush tea". He's a bit of a tea expert. Alongside the coffee shop he also has a fancy shop that sells all kinds of imported tea, and this was some stuff that he'd just got in which he'd grown quite fond of. I'd never even heard of this stuff before, but I was suitably impressed with its subtle yet satisfying taste. Plus it was warm and Boston is flipping freezing in November. A couple of years on and this tea is everywhere, different brands and variants freely available in supermarkets as well as health food shops.


INFORMATION ABOUT ROOIBOS (RED BUSH) TEA

Technically, Rooibos is not a true tea. It comes from the plant Aspalathus linearis, rather than the Camellia plants that produce traditional teas. The name Rooibos comes from the Afrikaans word for 'red bush'. The Rooibos plant is a small shrubby bush that only grows in South Africa. The bush grows anywhere from 1/2 to 1 metre in height, with very thin, needle-like leaves. The leaves are green, but turn the characteristic red after fermentation. Rooibos is totally pure natural and caffeine free. It contains no colorants or preservatives. Studies have shown this tea is comparable to green tea in the amounts of polyphenols it contains. It shows anti-mutagenic, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral activity.

More claims, regarding its health benefits, include:

- helps delay the aging process.
- helps to relieve stomach ulcers, nausea, constipation, and heartburn.
- helps to give you strong bones and teeth because of its calcium, manganese and fluoride content.
- helps pacify infants with colic, stomach cramps and sleeping problems.
- contains alpha hydroxy acid and zinc for healthy, smooth skin
- often prescribed for nervous tension and mild depression as it makes a relaxing sedative.
- in South Africa, rooibos is used to treat allergies like hay fever and asthma.

It also has other medicinal uses apart from drinking, including treating skin conditions like eczema, acne and nappy rash in babies.

Personally I like this stuff as I love my tea but have enough trouble sleeping without the caffeine keeping me up all night. So this is the perfect warm drink for me in the evenings. And apparently it's good for me, too.


PRICE

It cost me £1.99 for a box of 40 teabags from the Co-Op. I think it may be slightly cheaper at bigger supermarkets.

PACKAGING

The teabags are packed loosely in a brightly coloured box, every 2 bags attached to eachother. You could argue that it's better to individually wrap them in paper with a dinky little dunking tag on each bag, but I think this is less wasteful and nothing a sealed jar can't solve. The bags smell just a little aromatic.


HOW TO BREW

I've never subscribed to the school of thought where you dip a teabag in some water for a nanosecond and then chuck it away. No no no, this is all wrong in my book, and the instructions on the packet agree with me. You need to let the taste and leaves of the tea infuse the water fully. Rather surprisingly, there are no guidelines on the packages (a real shame in my opinion). This is what the website tells you:

http://www.redbushtea.com

To make our Redbush Tea in the traditional way we recommend that you follow this simple method.

1. Use one Redbush Tea bag per cup.
2. Add freshly boiled water to your cup or teapot.
3. Allow to infuse for 2 - 5 minutes, keeping your pot or mug warm.
4. You can drink Redbush with milk and sugar, but try it first on its own or with a slice of fresh lemon.
5. Served chilled and iced, mixed with fruit juice or wines, Redbush also makes a truly delicious cocktail.

No wonder people have to add so many things to tea if it isn't brewed properly. Tut tut! Sorry, this has always been a bugbear of mine Anyway, once brewed it should take on a nice dark brown hue, a bit darker than normal black tea.


TASTE

I'm not quite sure how to describe the taste really … I've seen it variously described as "fruity-sweet", "nutty" and "earthy", but to my ear that sort of description is a bit pretentious, like those M&S adverts that waffle on about "ultra virgin olive oil made with 200 year old sun ripened olives from Albania, manually pressed by hand-picked, purpose-bred eunuchs". You can get stuff like rooibos with honey or orange, which are self explanatory (and rather nice I must say), but as for plain old rooibos … it doesn't taste anything like black tea, but a bit spicy & herby. As far as rooibos goes, this is a rather bland tasting one, which is probably a good thing if you are new to it and want to break yourself in gently. I have a very bad sense of smell and so can't really make that much out from the brewed tea, perhaps again a hint of spice. I personally like it unfettered, but I can imagine it would be nice with some lemon or a little honey. I've never partaken with milk or sugar, as suggested on the website.


CONCLUSION

I'd definitely recommend this particular variant of rooibos. On my palette, it has a mild taste, isn't too badly priced and if half of the blurb about health benefits is to believed, it isn't bad for you either. It's certainly a good start that it's caffeine free. It may well be that, as with other herbal teas, it is an acquired taste so bear that in mind, although personally I never found that to be the case; I took to it instantly. I would also recommend trying some of the other variants from other manufacturers, particularly honey rooibos tea.


MANUFACTURER CONTACT DETAILS

You can contact Redbush Tea as detailed below:

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

Tel: +44 (0)20 7324 2010 - Sales & Marketing
Tel: +44 (0)845 601 2658 - General Enquiries
Fax: +44 (0)20 7324 2002
Email: info@redbushtea.com

(I originally posted this review on ciao)

Summary: Good to try and cut down on the caffeine and this stuff is great!