What is Rooibos Tea

Rooibos tea has become quite popular all over the world recently, but what is rooibos tea ? Let us explore !

The word “rooibos” translated as “red tea” from an African language. Rooibos grows in Cederberg, a mountainous area in West Cape, South Africa.

Rooibos tea is probably one of the most famous tea types coming from South Africa. The first time this tea type was mentioned was in the late 19th century, but it was not until the early 2000s that Rooibos tea gained popularity in the west.

What is Rooibos tea ? Types of Rooibos

Rooibos tea has needle-like leaves. There are two types of rooibos tea : the red rooibos and the green rooibos. Red rooibos is one of the most common types of rooibos tea.

Its production technique is somewhat similar to that of black tea, as the tea leaves undergo oxidation (fermentation), contrary to green rooibos tea, whose tea leaves are kept in their natural state. Therefore, the production of green rooibos tea is quite similar to that of green tea.

Green Rooibos is considered to be a superior type of rooibos tea, and it is usually more expensive than red rooibos.

What is Rooibos tea ? Taste

Rooibos tea taste varies depending on the tea type. Thus, red rooibos tea has an earthy flavour, and is often consumed with a dash of milk. As for green rooibos, it has a milder, slightly grassy flavour.

Rooibos tea doesn’t contain any caffeine, which makes it one of the healthiest tea types that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

What is Rooibos tea ? Health benefits

Rooibos tea has a great number of health benefits. First of all, as mentioned earlier, this tea type does not contain any caffeine at all. What is more, its content of tannin is very low indeed, which means that you can enjoy it at any time of the day, and it will never prevent you from sleeping well at night.

Another great Rooibos tea health benefit is its contents of antioxidants. This especially applies to Green Rooibos Tea. Rooibos contains polyphenols and catechins that prevent the development of free radicals, which leads to a much smaller risk of developing cancer. Isn’t it a wonderful advantage?

Another thing that antioxidants contained in rooibos tea are responsible for anti-ageing effects on your skin. So, if you are keen on having a young and refreshed skin (and who wouldn’t be?) rooibos tea is just perfect for you!

In addition, Rooibos is very good for your heart. As mentioned above, it doesn’t contain any caffeine, so it will never lead to high blood pressure. Besides, the flavonoids contained in this tea type are very good at lowering your LDL cholesterol (or “bad cholesterol”) levels.

Since cholesterol is often responsible for blocking your blood vessels, if you drink Rooibos tea, it might lower your risk of developing cardio-vascular diseases, such as a heart attack or a stroke.

Another very important health benefit of Rooibos Tea is its ability to speed up your metabolism, thanks to the catechins contained in this tea type. So, what is Rooibos tea ? Nothing but an utter pleasure, with the benefit of a lower figure on your scales.

And, last but not the least, rooibos tea has all the advantages of black tea (for red rooibos) and green tea (for the green version) in terms of taste, with the advantage of not containing any caffeine!

Bedford tea proudly offers you a number of Rooibos tea types, some of them in their natural state, such as our Loose Leaf Rooibos Tea, as well as its organic version : the Organic Rooibos Tea. However, we also have some variations of rooibos tea, such as our Caramel Rooibos Tea, Chocolate Mint Rooibos Tea, Chocolate Rooibos Tea or our Vanilla Rooibos Tea. Besides, we have our Organic Green Rooibos Tea, which is a superior kind of rooibos. 

Still wondering what is Rooibos Tea ? Come and discover our collection!