I’ve been a fan of Rooibos tea for some time now. I normally get the loose needle leaf Rooibos sold in bulk at Whole Foods.  You just add 1/2 teaspoon to 1 cup of boiling water.  The red color is similiar to teas made from Loquat leaves.

Rooibos tea is categorized as herbal tea, so it’s caffeine free. The many benefits of Rea tea include the ability to soothe the body’s reaction to allergy and rashes. You can can put the tea bag under your eyes or apply to your face. Red tea also contains anti-spasmodic agents which can relieve stomach pains. Many in Asia believe it has an anti-aging effect, just like green tea.

This is one of my favorite red tea from the Yogi brand.  The other one I tried was Egyptian Licorice and it was not my cup of tea.

This one is just sweet enough on it’s own to not add any sweetener.  Ingredients of this tea include the cleansing Ayurvedic spices of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and clove.  Also includes a splash of natural peach for just the right amount of sweetness.

I usually make it the night before and pour them into glass bottles and refrigerate.  Next morning you can just grab a glass and go!

The taste reminded me of Snapple’s Peach tea made with black tea.  Except the taste is lighter.  And of course cheaper then buying bottles of Snapple.  Possibly has less sugar, if at all.  It’s the ideal tea for hot summer days.

Photo from Yogi Tea.

My tea review of the week is Stash’s Red and White Tea.  This tea is a blend of red tea (rooibos) from South Africa and white tea from China.

White tea is considered one of the most expensive teas in the world because it is more scarce than the other traditional teas.  White tea leaves are picked and harvested before the leaves are fully open and the buds are still covered by fine white hair.

White tea buds and young tea leaves have been found to contain lower levels of caffeine than older leaves such as green and black tea.   When white tea is harvested, it is allowed to withered and dried unlike with black or green tea.

Red tea comes from  the Cedarberg Mountain wilderness just north of Capetown, South Africa.  The plant is named “Aspalathus Linearis” and has needle-like leaves.  During the plant’s ripening process the leaves develop a reddish brown color, leading to the name “red bush”.

Like green tea, Rooibos is high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  Red tea is more like herbal tea and contains no caffeine.  It has a lightly sweet but astringent flavor making it a great tea alternative.  You can find loose red tea sold by the pound at places like Whole Foods.  If you can’t get your hand on Stash’s red and white blend, you can always make your own cup by brewing each type of tea and adding them together. Read the rest of this entry »