Mark “dr. tea” Ukra continues to both educate and entertain us with his knowledge of tea.  His recent book “The Ultimate Tea Diet” has reached out to thousands of potential and current tea drinkers.  The book details tea’s (cami’s) many health benefits, and how you can incorporate tea into your diet to help with weight loss.  He is a compliment to the entire tea industry.

Although Dr. Tea would be the first to tell you that Rooibos is not tea, he would also say Rooibos is an excellent, healthy and caffeine-free alternative (tisane) to tea.  For the purpose of “craving-teas”, Rooibos seems to flavor well.  The caramel flavored Rooibos literally tastes like caramel - go figure.  It smells like candy from the time you open the package to the time it hits your lips.  Rooibos brews to create a dark liquor with a silky-smooth mouthfeel.  The caramel flavored tea helps to satisfy a sweet tooth.  I’m drinking Dr. Tea’s traditionally bagged Rooibos.  Just a few minutes of steeping in a near boiling cup of water is all it takes.  You’ll have a delicious cup of Rooibos with a deliciously sweet caramel aroma and flavor. I was very fortunate to get to try several of Dr. Tea’s craving teas, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them.  More importantly, I enjoyed sharing the teas.

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If you’re trying to cut the caffeine, but still want a hot and tasty drink - herbal “teas” are perfect.  By default herbal “teas” (tisanes) do not actually contain tea.  Therefore, they are typically caffeine-free.  Today I’m drinking Zhi’s herbal Blood Orange.  It consists of: Organic orange peel, hibiscus, rose hips, Rooibos, apple bits, safflower, and a little natural orange essence. The dry fruits & herbs have a very strong citrus scent.  As you can see from the photo this is a very chunky herbal tea.  The ingredients are easy to recognize.  The tisane can be infused multiple times.  Each infusion yields a colorful liquor that is very tangy.  Citrus lovers, this is for you.  The citrus flavored herbal will have your taste buds hopping.  For some reason, I didn’t like the Rooibos mixed with the other ingredients. It’s the one ingredient I could have done without in this mix.  It’s not that it tastes bad, I just found it to be slightly intrusive on the other ingredients.  Overall I did enjoy the herbal, and I found it best with just a touch of sweetener.  Again, if you like orange flavored beverages, this organic herbal is for you.

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African Red Tea® Imports offers a chai flavored Rooibos.  The flavored Rooibos gives consumers the option to enjoy Rooibos flavored with hints of ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom (I can’t verify all the ingredients, but that’s what I’m detecting).  You get all the benefits of an organic kosher Rooibos with the flavoring of a classic chai.  I found the beverage to be good without any additives.  If you’d like, I’m sure a little touch of your favorite sweetener would give it an extra buzz.  The popular South African herbal known as “Red Tea” can be found in hundreds of different flavors.  Since many tea drinkers and “coffee shop” tea drinkers know what a “Chai” is, they’ll most likely relate to this Rooibos.  Rooibos is naturally decaffianated and loaded with antioxidants.  Since I’m trying to rid of a sore throat, Rooibos is the perfect answer for relaxing in the evenings.  The chai flavored Rooibos helped to soothe my throat without the caffeine.

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Last year, I tried Teavana’s MatéVana® Herbal Tea and I thought it was very flavorful. So, my decision to try this blend was an easy one. Spiced Nut Maté is full of fun and flavor. I imagine the Teavana crew having loads of fun making this blend or deciding to add it to their inventory.

Let’s cover the ingredients: Roasted Maté, Rooibos, chocolate bits, almond bits, cocoa, cactus blossoms, orange peel, cornflower & sunflower petals, pistachio & macadamia nuts, and red peppercorns

Did I miss anyting?  Do you see anything in there you like?  I cannot drink this beverage within 10 feet from someone before they ask me what I’m drinking due to its delicious scent.  The aroma from the maté mix lingers pleasantly in the air.  As you can tell from the ingredients, it’s a few ingredients away from being a cake or cookie.  The pistachio, cocoa, and red peppercorns probably standout more than the other flavors to me.  It’s absolutely delicious.  Chai drinkers might enjoy this mix with all its attitude and spice.  There’s no tea at all in the blend.  Maté does contain a very small amount of caffeine.  Yerba Maté has been growing steadily thanks to tea companies like Teavana.  A lot of people are trying blends similar to spice nut maté, and they are liking the intense and “happy” flavors greeting their taste buds.  If you want to try a maté, and you enjoy some of the flavors mentioned in the ingredients list - try this one.

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I enjoy blogging about all things tea, and this is no exception.  Having said that, we all know Rooibos is not tea, but tea consumers and beyond have welcomed Rooibos into their cups.  Please read my Rooibos blogs if you are not familiar with Rooibos. The African Red Tea® Bars is just another step for Rooibos.  At the World Tea Expos I’ve attended, I’ve eaten my share of products that contain tea as an ingredient.  Tea has been making it’s way into our food for a few years now.  Some people have been using tea in their food for several years.  So, why not Rooibos?

The ingredients (Made by hand, with all raw ingredients): Almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, figs, raw agave nectar, rooibos extract 18:1, sea salt, and vanilla extract (totals 130 calories per bar).

The African Red Tea® Bars had the same texture as a chewy granola bar.  There was a slight crispness to it, but for the most part it was chewy.  The coconut and almond flavors really stood out for me.  It had just the right amount of sweetness from the raw agave nectar.  After a few bites, I started to detect a hint of Rooibos flavoring.  This would make a great snack for someone that really enjoys Rooibos or tea related products.

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I’ve been listening to some Jimmy  Buffett lately, and I was inspired to start writing about a tisane I picked up at the World Tea Expo in June.  The herbal tea is from a company called Carol’s Special-Teas.  The tisane consists of Honeybush and almonds with nut & rum flavors.  Honeybush comes from South Africa and it’s very similar to Rooibos.  Honeybush is said to be somewhat sweeter than Rooibos.  The name comes from the honey-like scent of the flowers the plant produces.  Since there are so many dominant flavors in this blend, it’s hard to get a great feel for the flavor of honeybush.  In my opinion, it tastes exactly like a flavored Rooibos.  I’d like to do a straightup side-by-side taste test of Rooibos and Honeybush.  Either way, in this brew it’s pretty darn good.  This tisane has everything you want to make an enjoyable cup - scent, flavor, and presentation.  To me, this is a mood tea.  I won’t drink it daily, but a few cups a week would be perfect.  It’s an excellent late night tisane since it barely contains caffeine.  The almond/nutty flavor is very pronounced in this mix.  The honeybush creates a very dark infusion.  The rum flavoring gives it a bit of a bite.  There’s so much flavor that you really don’t need to add anything to the tea.  The honeybush adds texture to the water.  It’s very soothing on your throat.  Pirate’s Brew would be a good beverage when you start to get a scratchy throat.  As you can see from the picutre, the honeybush is processed very similar to most Rooibos selections you’d find at a tea store.  If you are in the mood for something without caffeine, major flavor, and you’re ready to sail the seven seas - the Pirate’s Brew is for you.

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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.

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