Rooibos - General facts
The rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), which roughly translated from Afrikaans means “red bush”, is a shrub commonly about 1 meter in height, and only domestic in a small area of Southern Africa, in the Cederberg region north of Cape Town. The genista-like rooibus is a member of the leguminosae family and most famous for the tea, brewed from its needle shaped leaves and stems. It grows in acidic mountain regions, poor of nutrition, and it gathers nitrate by means of so called rhizobia (a type of proteobacterium).Having always been a traditional beverage, and to some extend a medical plant of the South African Koishan tribe, rooibos tea has risen in popularity with the interest taken by colonial settlers and traders especially during the 19th Century. Slowly but surly rooibus has become a valued export article first of the Dutch colonies, than of the South African Republic. It is nowadays a much liked alternative to common sorts of green, black and white tea (camellia sinensis), still rising in popularity together with the spread of holistic and health oriented lifestyles.
Typically, fermented rooibos tea is of a dark read colour, sometimes leaning towards brown, its taste is described to be "sweet and nutty". Besides of the fermented Rooibos tea, a "green" variety is also available.
Besides of taste, the main reason for the popularity of rooibos is the positive effect on health which the tea is said to have. The lack of caffeine and tannin make rooibos an interesting alternative to common tea, excluding side effects such as sleeplessness, dehydration and stomach troubles. Due to all those circumstances rooibos is nowadays the most important article of export from the Cederberg region.
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