Rooibos tea does not come from the camellia sinesis plant and is therefore not a traditional tea, but is actually a herbal tea. rooibos comes from the aspalathus linear is plant, grown in the Cederberg region of South Africa. It was discovered by Khoisans, indigenous bushmen of the region. The leaves were used as herbal remedies for many ailments and loved for their delicious taste. In order to process the leaves, the Khoisans chopped and bruised them with axes and hammers. They then left the leaves to ferment in heaps before drying them in the sun. Today rooibos is still processed in much the same way, but of course the methods are more mechanized and refined.
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| Rooibos Bush |
Rooibos tea history nearly ended with the dwindling of the Khoisan tribes, but thankfully, in 1772, a botanist named Carl Humberg rediscovered the leaves and spurred a widespread interest in the tea. In 1904, Benjamin Ginsberg, a Russian immigrant and pioneer in the area, became interested in rooibos and realised its marketing potential. He started trading with people of the mountains and marketed it as “Mountain tea”.
During World War II, when importing tea from Asian countries was nearly impossible, rooibos tea became an excellent alternative and was shipped around the world. However, rooibos retailers were having problems turning a profit due to the high prices caused by tight supplies. The high prices during this time made it difficult for consumers to purchase and enjoy rooibos tea.
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| Ready to brew rooibos tea |
As a result of the Rooibos market collapse after the Second World War, producers established the Clanwilliam Tea Cooperative in 1948. At the request of the Cooperative, the Minister of Agriculture appointed the Rooibos Tea Control Board in 1954 with the defined goals of regulating marketing, stabilizing prices, and improving and standardizing quality.
A new era began for the Rooibos industry through the boards leadership, guiding the industry to its first definite steps towards real stability and prosperity. Since that time, the industry has made steady progress, refining its production methods and increasing distribution so that the unique goodness of Rooibos can today be enjoyed by people all over the world.
It wasn't until the late 1960s that the history of rooibos tea took an incredible turn. In 1968, Annique Theron (coined the "Mother of Rooibos") published a book on rooibos tea's amazing health benefits. After the books release, hundreds of studies found more and more about rooibos teas' antioxidants and other health advantages. With this new medicinal understanding of rooibos, the tea's popularity exploded.
Rooibos tea should be steeped at around 99 °C (210 °F) and has a longer steeping time than most other teas. The shortest amount of time it should steep is four to five minutes, but studies have shown that steeping rooibos tea for five to ten minutes greatly increases the amount of antioxidants and nutrients in the finished cup.
