Blog(s) for 'Rooibos'

African Red Tea® with Buchu

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

African Red TeaRooibos was only showing signs of continued growth and success at the 2008 World Tea Expo. The fact that Rooibos continues to do well is proof that it is a quality product. Yes, it did have to adopt the name “Red Tea” to get its foot in the door. That said, Rooibos is here to stay. I met Nira Levy Maslin, Co-founder and CEO, of African Red Tea®. You will not find too many people more passionate about their company and products as Nira. It’s always exciting to meet someone as interesting, educating, and entertaining as Nira. I have several varities of African Red Tea® to blog about. Each one has been very enjoyable.

First, let me give you some of the selling points advertised by African Red Tea®:
This is a great tasting tea - naturally sweet, 100% organic, naturally caffeine free, no tannic acid and 50 times more antioxidants than green tea. Full bodied and extremely smooth.

Take a second to think about that…isn’t that everything you’ve been wanting from tea - well, almost? I’m sure scientists can debate the antioxidant levels between tea (camellia sinensis) and Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis). Since I don’t have a lab in my house, I’ll take their word for it - Rooibos has a high level of antioxidants.

Now, the Rooibos with Buchu…what is Buchu?: Buchu is an herb indigineous to South Africa only and has a mint like smell and taste. The Buchu leaf preparations have a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine as a urinary tract disinfectant and diuretic.

The first thing I noticed was the scent of the tea before it ever met the water. The Buchu has a very wild scent to it. I was reminded of a mix between mint, licorice and a freshly cut field full of wild shrubs. The scent didn’t floor me, but it was just so interesting that I couldn’t wait to drink the Rooibos. After I let the Rooibos soak in the boiling water, I was left with a dark infusion. There was a bitter and minty scent coming from the steam of the liquor. I loved this “tea” from the first sip. The Rooibos with Buchu just has a lot of character. From its “wild” scent to its very unique flavor. Just imagine a naturally sweet beverage mixed with a hint of bitter mint, and you have African Red Tea® with Buchu. This was a very enjoyable beverage. I enjoyed the fact that it was very much a native South African beverage. In addition, I liked that it was a totally different Rooibos experience for me. I could sip on this often. I found it to be very helpful clearing my sinuses. The beverage leaves a pleasant aftertaste as well. I highly recommend this Rooibos. It has more character than I expected - very good.

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Lipton PureLeaf: Rooibos

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Rooibos PureLeafRooibos is a regular on the tea circuit. For those of you that are not familiar with Rooibos, it is not tea. Rooibos comes from an herbal plant that grows in the Cederburg Mountains of South Africa. It’s been nicknamed “Red Tea.” Rooibos has managed to make a name for itself due to the quality and health benefits of the product. It’s packed with a naturally delicious sweet and smooth flavor. In addition, Rooibos is naturally decaffeinated. Lipton’s PureLeaf blueberry-pomegranate Rooibos actually had a decent Rooibos flavor to it. From the first sip, I could taste the Rooibos over the very sweet berry flavors. Overall I thought the beverage was a tad too sweet, but the berry flavor was enjoyable. The blend of pomegranate and blueberry made for a very pleasant mix. I drank the beverage ice-cold, and it was very refreshing. Pomegranate and blueberry flavors were a perfect blend for this PureLeaf beverage. I was very happy to see that consumers drinking this beverage are experiencing the flavor of Rooibos.

Visit Lipton

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Snapple: Mandarin Tangerine Red Tea

Monday, November 26th, 2007

Snapple Red TeaThe summer is gone, but I still had to try this ready-to-drink Rooibos (Red Tea) Snapple product. I like mandarin and tangerine flavored beverages, so I thought I’d see how the flavors would mix with Rooibos. As I expected this beverage is very “juice” like. That said, I could pickup the Rooibos flavor. It was faint, but I could detect a hint of Rooibos. There’s no doubt this beverage is very flavorful, but you’re not going to get a heavy dose of Rooibos from this product. Snapple’s Red Tea products are all about fun. They are flavorful and refreshing. Unfortunately, they lose a lot of points for me because they don’t do Rooibos justice. I do recommend trying it for yourself. The 17.5 ounce bottle contains about 7g of sugar.

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Snapple: Red Tea Acai Mixed Berry

Wednesday, August 29th, 2007

Snapple Red TeaThis is a flavorful ready to drink beverage from Snapple. The acai mixed berry flavor is very very fruity. In fact, it tastes like a fruit drink. If you were blindfolded and asked to try this, you would not guess it’s tea or Rooibos for that matter. Obviously the reference to “Red Tea” relates the beverage to Rooibos. The bottle contains 17.5 fluid ounces and totals about 90 calories. The strong fruity flavor is very pleasing, but it doesn’t taste as fresh as some of the other bottled teas I’ve tried lately. There’s no doubt it tastes good, but I’m not getting the freshness I’ve grown to appreciate from organic bottled beverages. That said, if you want to try Rooibos, give this beverage a shot. My wife is not a tea fan, and she really liked the red tea. The reason people that usually do not drink tea will like this beverage is because it’s not tea. So, if you’ve seen the product in a cooler near you, go ahead and give it a try if you are in the mood for a healthy beverage with a fruity flavor. I can’t say enough about acai - although I will very soon.

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Inside the bag: Rooibos Limited

Sunday, August 19th, 2007

Rooibos LimitedWhen I was at the World Tea Expo a few months ago, I stopped by the booth of Rooibos Limited. I wanted to learn more about Rooibos - The Red Tea. I needed to see what all the hype was about. Rooibos Ltd. is actually from the Cederberg region of the Western Cape in South Africa. So, they know Rooibos on a first-name basis. For those of you that are new to Rooibos, it is not tea. It doesn’t look like tea. It doesn’t smell like tea. It doesn’t taste like tea. Rooibos is a species of plant called Aspalathus linearis. Tea is produced from a species of plant called Camellia sinensis. However, you can purchase Rooibos almost anywhere tea is sold. Thanks to the marketing efforts of companies such as Rooibos Ltd., Rooibos has become a regular in the tea scene.

I point out in a lot of my blogs that I am a fan of caffeine. I’m aware that many of you are looking for decaffeinated alternatives to caffeinated beverages. Although it doesn’t taste like tea, it does have a naturally pleasing flavor. In addition, Rooibos is packed with antioxidants to help battle everything from aging to improving your cardiovascular health. Rooibos is naturally decaffeinated. I haven’t tried many decaffeinated teas, but I do like Rooibos better than many of the decaffeinated teas I have tried. It has a naturally sweet flavor to it with a silky-smooth texture. The color of its liquor is vibrant and red. So, the tisane has a lot going for it. I’m now completely sold on Rooibos in a “tea” bag. Unlike many teas, I don’t taste a difference between bagged and loose leaf varieties of Rooibos. So, I’m a fan of bagged Rooibos. I have tried Rooibos iced, and it is a great alternative to iced tea. My recommendation is for you to try Rooibos to help you form your own opinion. You will most likely not be disappointed.

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Numi Organic Tea: Red Mellow Bush Rooibos

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

NumiRooibos is a popular tisane that has really made a splash in the tea industry. There are a lot of herbal teas (tisanes), but Rooibos has emerged as the dominant herbal that appears to he here to stay. Rooibos is a South African shrub. It’s claim to fame is that it is known to have a lot of antioxidants, and it is caffeine free. Rooibos has a naturally sweet flavor to it. It does not taste like tea. It has a flavor all its own. I really enjoy Rooibos, but it’s primary selling point is the reason I mainly avoid it - no caffeine. That said, it’s important to note that its lack of caffeine is not a bad thing. If you are looking for a smooth, flavorful, and relaxing hot beverage to sip at night, Rooibos is perfect.

NuiThis is the first time I’ve ever tried Rooibos in a “tea” bag. Also, this is the first time I’ve tried a variety that was not flavored. I have to say, I think I liked this better. The Rooibos seemed to be very flavorful. There was no mess, and the Rooibos had the same silky-smooth texture to it that I’ve grown to appreciate. After trying Numi’s Rooibos in a bag, I have to say I really enjoyed it.

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The Rooibos Incident

Monday, May 14th, 2007

“Son of a beach.” I turn my back for 2 minutes and my Rooibos is all over the kitchen floor. You want to talk about a mess. It’s bad enough what Rooibos does to my tea filters. Try cleaning Rooibos off of your kitchen floor and rugs. It’s like sawdust. It managed to sneak its way into every crack and crevice of the kitchen. It was either the cats or the kids, neither are talking. I’m thinking the kids…The good news is, it was Vanilla flavored so the place smells pretty good.

Note to self: keep tea out of the reach of children and pets. also, change sweeper bag.

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Caranda Teas: Morning Rouge

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

Caranda Morning RougeCaranda combines style with an emphasis on organic African teas. Their website, literature, and tea tins all scream for attention. Well, they got my attention, or at least my wife’s. She bought this one for me. I’ve been drinking the Morning Rouge black tea. It combines Asia and Africa to make a powerful tea mix. The Tanzanian golden flowery orange pekoe is said to be grown at 6,500 feet above sea level in the Usambara region of northern Tanzania. Now, they throw in Rooibos from the Cedarburg moutains of South Africa and Keemun. To top it off, they have added Safflowers to the mix. As you can see, it’s quite a mix to make the Morning Rouge black tea “collection.” Safflowers are believed to help the body rid of toxins and improve liver and gullbladder function.

Caranda Morning RougeCaranda’s marketing is very clever and stylish. The African theme really sets them apart from their competitors. With all the style, I was wondering how their tea would rate…First off, this is a very colorful mix of tea. The presentation of the dry product is very impressive. It has a strong pepper-like scent to it. After the tea steeped for a few minutes in 212 degree water, I took my first sip. The tea has a very powerful flavor to say the least. It literally awakened every sense in my body. This ain’t your grandma’s Lipton! I see why this is their morning blend. If this doesn’t wake you up, I don’t know what will. The fiery flavor takes a few sips to get used to the boldness of the flavor. Caranda describes the flavor as full body with hints of malt and a fruity character. I agree with their descriptions of full body and malty flavor, but I’m not sure about their fruit character description. That said, this tea will knock your socks off with its powerful flavor. If you like strong breakfast teas, you will like this blend. If you don’t like strong teas (I mean STRONG), stay far away from this blend. Visit their site and find a tea that sounds right for you. I do recommend their teas, and I plan on purchasing more in the near future.

Organic African Caranda Teas

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