What is rooibos?

Rooibos is the name of an evergreen shrub only grown northwest of Capetown, South Africa in the Cedarburg Mountain region. The name is Afrikaans for red bush and first gained popularity during World War II when allied nations experienced difficulty in importing tea from Asian countries. It has flat aromatic needle-like leaves and yellow flowers. The leaves are dried for herbal tea use.

Rooibos tea is growing in increasing popularity due to research about it antioxidants that boost the immune system and the number of health-conscious consumers looking for a tasty alternative to caffeinated and sugary drinks.

The tea has been used in traditional medicine for generations to treat colic, digestive issues, and allergies. It currently makes up 10% of the herbal tea market and 1% of the global tea market with a value of about $23 billion.