We’ve decided this year to improve our tea selection in the shop, and yesterday I went to Munster Wholefoods and poked around their warehouse, looking for options. One of the things I came back with was organic Rooibosch tea (also called “Redbush” or “Rooibos”).
This non-caffeinated tea originated in South Africa with the Khoisen tribe, who used it as a natural remedy. It’s from the red bush shrub (Aspalathus linearis) and was brought into Europe by the Dutch.
According to the BBC, it can help with headaches, colic, asthma, insomnia, eczema, etc. In South Africa, hospitals routinely give children with skin conditions a bath in the stuff as well as giving it to them to drink.
However, I’m not so interested in the bathing or medicinal properties. I think it’s a delightful drink. It has half the tannin as normal tea, which makes it less bitter, and it can be drunk with milk and sugar, lemon and honey, or straight up. If you want a cup of tea before bedtime, you don’t want the usual herbal, and you want to sleep well, this is definitely one to consider…
The best tea I’ve had has been from a brand called Sip.
Yes, I tasted it when they launched in Ireland, and it is really good.
We buy tea here in Milwaukee at a shop called Teavana which sells hundreds of loose teas and tea making merchandise. We buy this tea under the name Rooibos and enjoy it a lot.
Hi, I have been reading your blog for ages now and really like it. I was in Dingle for the weekend and went into your shop. It was lovely and i was most impressed. I had the gentle hot chocolate,i was just after breakfast and a bit hungover,it was fab. Best Wishes for the future.
That makes me so happy. Thanks, Joanne!
I ran into a lovely kind of Rooibos in Hawaii from a Japanese brand called L’Epicier (http://www.lupicia.co.jp/) called “La Vie En Rose.” I wish they had a site in English, but their teas and tisanes are superb.
Love your blog, btw :o)