About Tea
Rooibos Tea
January 26, 2026
Red tea, red bush tea or rooibos (pronounced roi-bos) is made from the leaves of a plant with green, shiny, needle-like leaves, native to South Africa – Aspalathus linearis (a plant that is not related to the classic tea plant, Camellia sinensis).
Introduced to the West relatively recently, it has been known to the population of the Cedarberg mountain region of South Africa for about three hundred years.
The indigenous people would gather leafy branches, then crush them to remove moisture. The leafy branches were then left in the sun to ferment or oxidize.
(There is also “green” red tea, in the production of which the oxidation process is limited.)
Once dried, the leaves were put in boiling water, thus obtaining a tea (an herbal tea) that is remarkably sweet and full of antioxidants.
Rooibos tea is golden in color, with a slight orange and caramel flavor, and is theine-free. For this reason, it is also recommended for children and people with sensitive heart conditions, and can be consumed throughout the day.
Rooibos is often mixed with flavorings – for example, hibiscus and cinnamon.