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 »