I've known Rooibos tea for more than a decade now. I got introduced to it first by my South African college mates and it has been my favourite tea drink since. I'm not in favour of over-manufactured teas so I looked around before deciding which red tea brand to choose.

Why did I choose Tick Tock?

What I like about it over other brands is

- its full and slightly woody, rich fruity (like pomegranate) flavour.
- its rich and bright mahogany colour (it doesn't look cloudy like
green and black tea)
- unlike other brands, it doesn't get bitter when the teabag is left in the brew
- there are 40 bags in the pack, so its economical and good for the environment unlike other brands which only contain 20 bags
- the packaging is not 'lying' or overly decorated like other brands
- the box looks 'vintage', 'homely' and also comes in a rectangular tin box. I collect tin boxes so I'll generally buy a tea brand if it has a matching tin box. It also nice to present the teabags in the tin box to your guests.
- its traditional quality
- it's 100% organically produced
- it comes without any additives, flavourings or preservatives
- it's Fairtrade (information from www.fairtrade.org.uk)

What I don't like about Tick Tock is

- the teabags are flimsy and break sometimes whilst in the packaging (I never had a teabag break in the brew)

Why Rooibos (Red Bush) Tea?

I prefer red tea to those herbal infusions that have a gorgeous smell but practically taste like water. They also tend to be just 'nice' and have very little if any health benefits. If someone asked you which tea had the most important health properties, then you'd probably first think of green tea and its active ingredients such as flavonoids, minerals or antioxidants. But like most teas that come from the tea plant, green tea also has less desirable properties that can even be harmful to you.

Red tea vs. Green / Black tea

Rooibos, the name of the plant meaning 'red bush' originates from the fact that the leaves cut from the plant and left to dry in the sun, acquire a reddish brown colour when ripened. Because red tea doesn't come from the tea plant, it doesn't have two of the 'unhealthy' properties of green and black tea (and coffee of course) namely tannin and caffeine.

Both green and black tea contain caffeine. Red tea is caffeine free, so it won't disrupt your natural body rhythm. In fact, it actually helps you relax at night and keep you stimulated during the day. Our bodies can't digest caffeine so our liver will step up and try to eliminate it. This high rate of metabolism gives us an unnatural heightened alertness. We pay the price later for it when our metabolism goes back to normal and we experience a sudden drop in concentration and alertness.

Tannin is responsible for the bitter taste and dark tint in tea and coffee. Both green and black tea contain high amounts of tannin and surprisingly this amount is even higher in green tea than in black tea! The percentage of tannin in green / black teas varies between 10 and 25 percent. The tannin content in Red Tea is between 1 and 4 percent. Tannin is used as an astringent in dentistry but have both anti-cancer and carcinogenic characteristics. Whether one or the other is activated in someone's body will depend on the their own biological makeup.

When I learned about this fact, there was no question about me choosing Rooibos over green tea or black tea. Coffee has been long off the list because of the high caffeine content.

Health benefits

Tribes in South Africa have been drinking Rooibos tea for its rich, refreshing flavour for centuries but it took until 1984 for its healing properties to be discovered.

It has been found to ease depression and stress and headaches. It's efficient in combating stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting and constipation, heartburn and colic in infants.

It also contains iron which ensures that red blood cells are replenished and is especially beneficial for pregnant or breast-feeding women.

It also helps lessen allergies, eczema or skin irritations when used as a compress directly on the affected area.

Anti-ageing

The Japanese call it Long Life Tea and have done extensive research in the 1990s on the healing properties of Rooibos. The results showed that Red Tea contains a 50% more anti-oxidants than green tea, a substance known to fight free radicals in our body, which are the main cause of cancer, heart and other diseases.

Serving tips

A versatile drink, you can drink with or without milk, with a touch of cream, or even lemon.

Natural

Most times I drink my brew natural so that I can enjoy the full bodied, woody taste of red bush. I do not add any sugar or milk to it. I do add honey sometimes, and a trickle of honey will sweeten it enough.

Vanilla

I love my Tick-Tock with a hint of vanilla. I add a few drops of vanilla essence into the tea after I've just poured it into the mug. You can get a small bottle of vanilla essence at most supermarkets at the baking ingredients section.

Lemon, lime

If you do not like the woody taste of Rooibos tea, try adding a drop or two of lemon or lime juice. This will take off the edge of the stronger taste. Make sure you only add the drops when the tea is ready to drink as too much heat destroys the vitamin C.

Iced Tea

Make a usual brew than when cooled, add twice as much water, so you'll get 1 part of brew and 2 parts of water. Add sugar / honey / lemon to taste.

Where to buy

Online from dragonflyteas.com
Holland and Barrett £1.89 / 40 bags

Enjoy!

Thanks for reading my review.

Lilla

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