GREEN ROOIBOS TEA: INTRO
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The Rooibos Tea section of the Herbal Tea Time community is growing rapidly. I definitely understand why, Rooibos Tea is extremely healthy and is packed with antioxidants. If you are unfamiliar with Rooibos Tea, I suggest reading my Ultimate Guide to Rooibos Tea prior to reading this post. It contains details for both varieties of Roobos Tea, Red Rooibos and Green Rooibos. Since these two types of Rooibos Tea are popular as well, I decided to make an additional post for each one. This post is dedicated to Green Rooibos Tea, and I have an alternate post dedicated to Red Rooibos Tea. The green Rooibos Tea is currently the trendier and more popular version. It contains a higher level of antioxidants. Both forms are derived from the rooibos bush, Aspalathus linearis.
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As stated above, I suggest reading my Rooibos Tea Ultimate Guide if you are unfamiliar with the general information regarding this popular tea.
GREEN ROOIBOS TEA: GUIDE
Green Rooibos Tea Overview
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Green rooibos tea is the newer and trendier version of rooibos tea, and red rooibos tea is the traditional form. The main difference between green rooibos and red rooibos deals with the harvesting process. This might sound like a small difference, but it can change the tea dramatically. Green Rooibos tea is different because it stops the natural fermentation process immediately after harvesting the leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant. The leaves / needles are steamed or heated to prevent oxidation. After the heating process, they are then rolled and dried. The method of preparation results in a much healthier tea than the traditional red rooibos method. Green Rooibos has 100x more antioxidants and 10x more aspalathin than traditional rooibos. Antioxidants help fight free radicals and help overall health. The aspalathin is used to combat allergies and prevent allergic reactions.
Rooibos Appearance
The Aspalathus linearis plant resembles a broom, with the pointy leaves serving as the bristles. The plant is actually a small bush with needle-shaped leaves. The plant is primarily grown and harvested in the coastal mountians of South Africa. Technically, all forms of this plant are only found in the Cederberg Mountain Range in S. Africa. The bush produces small yellow flowers in the late spring and early summer. Many South African tea connoisseurs prefer tea derived from plant leaves harvested high in the mountains.
Green Rooibos Tea History
The famous botanist Carl Humberg was the first to document the rooibos bush in 1772. The Dutch were the first to perfect the brewing process for rooibos tea. The Dutch loved black tea, but it was extremely expensive to import and ship to S. Africa. As a result, they focused on rooibos tea as a cheaper alternative. Black tea was extremely expensive to import. Green Rooibos was created as a healthier form of rooibos tea in 1999. As stated above, Green Rooibos Tea is less oxidized than the Traditional Red Rooibos. Powdered rooibos was created in the early 2000’s for use in cooking. This powder has become extremely popular in the last 10 years.
List of Benefits & Uses
Green Rooibos Tea is the healthiest form of rooibos tea. It contains a very high level of antioxidants. Antioxidants help improve overall health and wellness by eliminating free radicals. Green rooibos tea also has several other health benefits included in the chart below:
For a full detailed list of the positive effects of Green Rooibos Tea, please check out my Rooibos Tea Benefits post.
There very few documented side effects for consuming either form of Rooibos Tea. It is important to speak with your healthcare professional prior to consuming any herbal teas. They can interact with your prescription medications and can be dangerous.
Green Rooibos Tea Taste
Green Rooibos Tea has a light and refreshing flavor. A majority of herbal teas are known to have a bitter flavor, but rooibos is an exception. The most common flavors mentioned to describe green rooibos are nutty and flavorful. Some people add natural sweeteners like honey or sugar to enhance the flavor. Other recipes, like the one mentioned below, include milk as an ingredient.
Green Rooibos Tea Recipe
Ingredients (2 Servings)
- 3 Teaspoons of Loose Rooibos Tea (Check out my list of the Best Rooibos Tea)
- 2 Cups of Filtered Water
- 1 Cup of Milk
- Optional: Sugar or Honey to taste
Instructions
- Place 2 Cups of Filtered Water into your pot or tea kettle
- Add 1 Cup of Milk to the water and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat and place 3 Teaspoons of Loose Rooibos Tea into your pot or tea kettle and mix with the hot water. Set the temp to allow the tea to steep. Be careful not to burn yourself!
- Allow the rooibos tea to simmer for 3-5 minutes. If you prefer stronger tea, steep it for closer to 5 minutes
- Pour the tea mixture through a strainer into your desired tea cups.
- Add honey or sugar (optional) and stir while allowing the tea to cool. It usually takes around 5 minutes for tea to cool enough to be ready to consume.
- Enjoy, your tea is now ready to consume.
To enjoy several more free recipes, check out my Rooibos Tea Recipe post.
Green Rooibos Tea: Buy the Best
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GREEN ROOIBOS TEA: SUMMARY
I hope that this post has helped you familiarize yourself with the healthier form of rooibos tea, Green Rooibos Tea. Green Rooibos Tea is the unfermented form of rooibos tea. As a result, it has a higher percentage of polyphenols than traditional red rooibos. This means it also contains a higher level of antioxidants that help fight free radicals and improve overall health. Steep a cup of Green Rooibos Tea and improve your health today!
Green Rooibos Tea: Comments
Do you have additional information pertaining to Green Rooibos Tea? Please share your knowledge in the Comments section below, and help the HTH community grow!
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