Rooïbos Vert

History of rooibos

Do you really know rooibos? It is also called "red tea" wrongly and you will quickly understand why! 

The Aspalathus linearis, also called Rooibos, is a small shrub that grows exclusively in the Cederberg Reserve in South Africa. It measures about one meter. The eponymous drink comes from the infusion of the leaves of the shrub, fine needle-shaped leaves. This tea is the national drink of South Africa where it was traditionally consumed for its medicinal virtues. "Rooibos" means "red bush" in Afrikaans and this is not a coincidence: indeed the leaves of the rooibos become red when fermented. 

In France, rooibos is called "red tea" but this is a deception! Indeed, it is not made of tea leaves. 

Real" tea contains theine from the Camellia sinensis plant. This includes black teas, green teas, yellow teas, white teas, Oolong and Pu Erh. Officially Pu Erh tea is the only one that can be called "red tea". 

And yes, rooibos does not contain any theine or caffeine, so you can drink it at any time of the day, especially in the evening!

Most often rooibos is known in its fermented form which gives a red or brown colored drink. But there is also green rooibos! To obtain green rooibos, the leaves are picked and then simply dried in the sun before being cut and finally packaged. Thus, they are not fermented. This results in a drink with a color rather similar to green tea. The green rooibos infusion reveals a fresher flavour and a less "sweet" sensation than the fermented rooibos. 

Virtues of rooibos

Rooibos is a drink with multiple benefits, even more so when it is a green rooibos! 

As it does not ferment, the green rooibos leaves keep all their nutritional value! 

Its high concentration in polyphenol allows to fight effectively against the ageing of the cells and the cholesterol. Very rich in minerals, green rooibos improves the health of bones, hair and skin. It also has a high flavonoid content, rooibos can calm gastrointestinal pain and promote digestion. It is therefore perfect to be enjoyed after heavy meals and improve your digestive comfort! In South Africa, women traditionally use it warm to soothe their babies' colic. 

It also helps to relieve skin irritations and allergies such as eczema thanks to its high zinc content.