Rooibos Tea

Rooibos Tea

At Adams+Russell, we like to make sure we are delivering the best we possibly can. That’s why we source and taste only the best quality teas, and the Redbush Rooibos is no exception.

Rooibos actually translates to Red Bush, and is part of the Fabaceae family of plants in South Africa. The leaves of the plant are the main ingredient in this tea.

Fresh Rooibos drinks have high content of vitamin C, which is helpful to fighting off cold and flu. But, that’s not all the benefits you get from drinking red bush on a regular basis.

We have talked about the short term benefits of camomile tea here, as well as the long term benefits of Assam tea here. In terms of the rooibos, however, it is much more in line with the benefits of camomile. This is because your mind and body can receive many more short term body essentials, because of the lack of caffeine that’s present in the drink.

This article goes into the full benefits of drinking red bush rooibos tea leaves, but we have listed some of them below in their basic form:

• A reduction in blood pressure
• Improved bones and teeth
• Improved cardiovascular health
• Treats stomach ache in children
• Controls diabetes
• Improves skin care
• Prevents kidney stones
• Eases stomach cramps and abdominal pains

A word of caution on these tea leaves

While the benefits speak for themselves when drinking this beverage on a regular basis, there are some cautionary measures you need to take when considering your purchase. For example, this drink can’t be consumed when taking certain medication, as there can be serious side effects. This is specifically prevalent in chemotherapy courses for cancer patients.

How to make a perfect Red bush tea drink

You may have heard the recommendation to always use fresh water when making your drink. The reason for this is that by re-boiling the water, it removes important oxygen particles which in turn gives your drink a metallic taste instead of a fresh flavoursome drink you would be expecting.

Use one rounded/heaped teaspoon for at least 227g or 8oz of water. If you’re brewing for a few people, you will want to use approximately a rounded teaspoon for each cup you plan to make. Your teapot should have the size on it so you can work out exactly how much tea leaves you need to use.

Brew for approximately 2-5 minutes, depending on how strong you want your tea to be.

Flavouring your Redbush tea

This drink is delicious on it’s own. However, if you drink it regularly, you should certainly try different flavourings to see if there are any that take your fancy. Here’s a few ideas

Add honey – honey will add a slight sweetness and give your drink a bit of a lift

Add sugar – Sugar will have a similar effect to honey, giving your drink that extra bit of sweetness

Add Lemon – Lemon is slightly different and will add some sourness to your drink. If your taste buds like this sort of thing it could be perfect for you.

Add milk – It may seem strange to be adding milk but some people really do like it. So go ahead and give it a try.