Rooibos tea

Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) tea is one of my favourite herbal teas. Word Rooisbos in Afrikaans (language derived from Dutch, mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia) means"red bush". In South Africa Rooibos tea is commonly known as red tea. Rooibos is only grown in a small area in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape provinceor to make it simple approximately 300 km north of Cape Town in South Africa. Rooibos leaves are oxidized. That way they get special reddish-brown colour. Unoxidized "green" rooibos tea is also available. In South Africa Rooibos tea is drank with milk and sugar. That is not the case in other part of the world. Rooibos tea is delicious served hot or cold and can be added to beverages, sauces, soups and stews,and meals to enhance flavor and color Preparation of Rooibos tea is more or less the same as black tea...The difference is thatlonger time of preparation improves Rooibos tea. Growing popularity of Rooibos tea in the western world is primarily due to its high level of antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), its lack of caffeine and its very low tannin levels (since tannins can affect the metabolism by decreasing absorption of certain nutrients like iron and protein). Ongoing research continues to uncover diverse healing properties from clearing acne and resisting signs of aging, improving adult digestion, soothing depression, easing colic in babies and relieving allergies, to fighting cancer.