rooibos

ROOIBOS:
Steep 5 minutes (boiling)

General: Rooibos, or red bush, originates in South Africa. Its scientific name is Aspalathus Linearis and is a member of the Legume family of plants. Because rooibos is an herbal infusion, it contains no caffeine, no stimulants, and no tannins. This tea is filled with many B vitamins, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and potassium. Thus, it is good for depression, cramps, stomach aches, headaches, anxiety, irritability, and trouble sleeping. Rooibos also contains Aspalathin, a flavinoid present in medicinal herbs used to treat skin and circulatory disorders. The leaves of the bush are harvested, bruised, finely chopped, moistened and left to oxidize in rolls or mounds. The oxidization process enriches the flavor and gives the tea leaves their distinctive red color (the bush is originally green). After oxidization, the leaf is spread out to dry in the sun. There are varieties of rooibos tea that are in their natural un-oxidized state.

Green Rooibos (Green Bush): 

Processed similarly to Green tea, so as to stop the oxidation that would lead to its turning into red rooibos. Because the process used to make red rooibos is very simple, and the process used in making green rooibos is more complex, green rooibos tends to be more expensive than red. Green rooibos has a light color and an aroma that is often described as being "fresher" than red rooibos. Green rooibos is frequently promoted as having more antioxidants than red rooibos. While the antioxidant activity of rooibos is well established, there is not enough evidence to back the claim that green rooibos has more antioxidants.