Part 5: Rooibos Tea

As you may know, on your path to Tea Enlightenment, I, Master Amanzi have offered you many tea tips. Most recently, I have been explaining about the different kinds of tea. I have told you about the four types of tea: white tea, green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. Since these are actually made from tea leaves, technically, these are the only kinds of tea. But there are other tea-like beverages that are called tea. Since the Way of Tea is open to all, I will explain a bit about them as well. Today we shall talk about rooibos tea.

As I have said, rooibos tea, also called “red tea” or “redbush tea,” isn’t actually tea at all. Rooibos,  (pronounced “roy-boss”), is Afrikaans for “red bush;” it’s made from the leaves of a legume bush that grows in South Africa. It is prepared just like tea and is thus considered a member of the tea family, but since it is not from Camellia Sinensis leaves, it could at best be considered a distant cousin.

Rooibos tea contains no caffeine at all and is extremely healthy, containing about as many antioxidants as green tea. It is said that rooibos tea helps fight cancer, infection, and the aging process. It is also good for skin, bones, and teeth; it eases insomnia, irritability, and hypertension; it can relieve allergies and headaches, and aids in digestion. Because it is so healthy and has no caffeine, rooibos is ideal for pregnant women and kids.

Rooibos has a light, nutty flavor that many consider very pleasantly mild. Many people drink it before going to bed to help them sleep, but of course, it is good for any time of day.

I hope your journey down the Path to the Perfect Pot of Tea is going well. I will soon impart more knowledge to you—this time about mate tea. Until then, continue in your tea studies.

Learn More about the Other Types of Tea:
White Tea
Green Tea
Oolong Tea
Black Tea
Yerba Mate Tea
Herbal Tea

Tags: allergies, Health, Herbal tea, Informational, relaxing, Rooibos Tea, tea, tea info, tea leaves, Tea Types

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 14th, 2008 at 8:28 pm and is filed under Basics, Health, Informational, Rooibos Tea, Tea Types. 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.