High quality Rooibos tea
Hello and welcome to the Friends of Tea! With us you will find sustainably grown tea of the highest quality, fairly and justly traded! We have specialized mainly in real tea, i.e. all products of the tea plant Camellia Sinensis. Recently we have also added great Rooibos teas to our assortment, because we were simply too convinced of the quality!
Rooibos is the national drink of South Africa! Rooibos is also caffeine free and contains many minerals. The drink can be prepared in many different ways and delights with its wholesome and aromatic taste.
The history of Rooibos tea
The history of Rooibos tea
When exactly the first Rooibos was produced is unfortunately not known. But it is assumed that rooibos has been cultivated and processed in Rotbusch near the Zerderberg Mountains in South Africa for about 300 years. There the locals noticed that from the leaves of the bush Aspalathus linearis could prepare a refreshing and tasty infusion, which is also easily digestible.
Meanwhile there are more variations of the Rooibos tea. Besides different quality grades there are also the green, unfermented Rooibois and the Honeybush tea.
The processing of Rooibos
Rooibos is mostly still grown in a very original and natural way. First the young shoots of the Rooibos plant are harvested by hand and safely and tied into large bundles. Once the harvest is complete, the bundles are taken to a collection point where the needle-shaped plant shoots are chopped up small and moistened with a little water to start the oxidation of the rooibos. Green Rooibos does not undergo this oxidation and the freshly harvested material is even heated briefly to ensure that the green and light character of the plant is preserved!
If the oxidation is not stopped, the Rooibosch will have taken on its typical copper-coloured appearance after 8 to a maximum of 24 hours. Now the tea is spread out to dry on a large area in the sun. Then the finished product is sorted and decanted and finds its way to Rooibos lovers all over the world!
Storage of Rooibos
Rooibos tea should be stored as dry and light-protected as possible. The tea should also always be hermetically sealed to preserve the aroma for as long as possible. During preparation, 6 g of tea needles should be poured onto 500 ml of boiling water for about 5 minutes. The green rooibos can also be infused with 70-80 degrees hot water to enhance the fresh and floral notes. Rooibos is very forgiving in its preparation and for those who like it a bit stronger we recommend to boil down the rooibos for 20 minutes. This will give you an almost espresso-like drink. Have fun trying it out!
