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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marTEA

marTEA's blog was posted on Sunday, July 20th, 2008 at 12:03 am and is filed under African Red Tea, Decaffeinated, Herbal, Rooibos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Tags: African Red Tea, Buchu, Rooibos