Out of Africa- Green Rooibos tea really a tisane- explained.

 

It is not leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant. This plant is named Aspalathus linearis. In our language Rooibos.(pronounced Roy-Bos)

There is a big difference in these finished tea leaves. All teas from the Camellia sinensis plant have caffeine. While some people enjoy this stimulant, others prefer not to drink caffeine.

Leaves from the Aspalathus linearis plant have no carbohydrates and no caffeine at all. Let’s talk dieters here. What a great benefit for the person on a diet. This is like drinking caffeine free diet Cola, without the artificial sweetener. For me the artificial sweetener just continues to make me thirsty.

What else is in it for us?

All the anti oxidant properties that caffeinated teas have are found in this drink. Rooibos tea has more polyphenols than is found in all caffeinated teas. It is felt that Green Rooibos has up to two times more anti-oxidant properties that the red variety.

Processing the leaves is very similar to other teas.

In the case of Green Rooibos tea leaves are plucked, mostly by hand. They are withered immediately, steamed to prevent oxidation, and then rolled and dried.

The finished tea is more delicate with an herbal taste. This Rooibos resembles green tea. We now have a loose leaf tisane.

The liquid will be lighter in color than the red variety after being brewed. Milk can be added to these teas if that is what you like.

To prepare your drink pour boiling water over rooibos tea leaves for up to 10 minutes. Some researchers feel that it's best to brew for more than 10 minutes. This gives the highest antioxidant activity. In turn we have more health benefits.

Brewing other teas for longer periods of time will cause the tea to be bitter tasting. Rooibos never grows bitter or tart with over-steeping.