African Red Tea® with Buchu
Sunday, July 20th, 2008
Rooibos 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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Rooibos 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.
The 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.
This 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.
When 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.
Rooibos 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.
This 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.
Caranda 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.