Rooibos

• Rooibos is a shrubby, bushy plant that grows in the harsh conditions of the Cedarberg region where temperatures range from below zero in winter to above 40°C in summer.

• Rooibos is a versatile plant and while it is most popular as a tea, it is also used in a variety of foods and beauty products.

• It is one of the most commercially cultivated crops in South Africa

• Green when picked, the plant’s needle-like leaves must undergo an oxidation process before they become tea. After they are chopped and bruised, the leaves are left to dry in the sun, where they take on their characteristic red colouration.

• There are a variety of forms and types including, red, black, red-brown and grey rooibos with one of the red types, named Nortier, being the one we’ve come to know and appreciate as our rooibos tea.

• It is naturally caffeine free, full of antioxidants (most notably aspalathin), has cancer-fighting properties, low amounts of tannins and most importantly, there have been no recordings of negative side effects of drinking it, so you can enjoy rooibos tea all the time and feel good about it!

• Rooibos contains polyphenols that have anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antimutagenic qualities. Polyphenols are organic chemicals that are most often praised for their antioxidant capabilities.

• Rooibos tea is known to relieve stress, nervous tension and hypertensive conditions.

• Red rooibos tea is rich in calcium, manganese and fluoride minerals that assist in maintaining good bone structure and stronger teeth.