Question: what tea tastes great, never gets bitter, has an amazing amount of health benefits, and costs only a fraction of a typical Starbucks beverage?
Answer: Rooibos!
First, how the heck do you pronounce that?
Rooibos is the Dutch Afrikaans word that literally means “red bush”. In South Africa, you might hear it pronounced something like “Roy Bosh”. Here in the US, a common pronunciation is “Roy Bose”.
Semantics aside, what’s the big deal about it?
Over the years, I’ve spoken with hundreds of customers who say that they really want to drink green tea for its health benefits, but they either just don’t like the flavor, or they want to avoid caffeine.
Rooibos is the ideal choice for these folks. Why? Rooibos contains zero caffeine, doesn’t get bitter like green tea does if you over-brew it, but like green tea, it’s loaded with important antioxidants! Basically, you get all the positives and none of the drawbacks that come with green tea.
Rooibos also offers a few health benefits that you don’t get from green tea.
- It’s naturally anti-inflammatory
- It has a soothing effect on the stomach and digestive tract
- It might be helpful in relieving allergy symptoms
- It promotes strong healthy bones
Live Forever and Be Beautiful Rooibos Punch
Well, maybe you won’t live forever, but drinking this recipe instead of soda will definitely help add years to your life, while helping to reduce them from your face. All of the ingredients besides the rooibos contain anti-aging and health-promoting benefits:
- Blackberries contain huge amounts of a critical bioflavonoid that helps relieve inflammation, and has anticancer benefits
- Blueberries contain the same bioflavonoid that blackberries have, and are also great for your eyes
- Pomegranates support your brain, skin, connective tissue, and heart
- Pineapples contain enzymes that help relieve inflammation
- Rosemary is an amazing antioxidant and is famous for its preservative properties
- Both thyme and oregano contain thymol, one of the most powerful antibacterial compounds known, along with important antioxidants. This also adds a fun zest to the overall flavor.
Your entire family will benefit from the health benefits of this punch. It’s naturally sweet, but if you need an extra boost of sweetness, you can add a touch of raw honey while it’s still hot.
You will need:
- a 64 ounce sturdy glass pitcher or mason jar
- 2 quarts of hot water
- 8 tablespoons of rooibos tea (either plain or flavored)
- ½ cup of fresh or frozen blackberries
- ½ cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
- ½ cup of fresh pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup of fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, rolled between your palms
- 1 sprig of fresh oregano or thyme, rolled between your palms
Instructions:
- Place the rooibos tea in a paper tea filter or muslin cloth tea bag
- Place the fruits and fresh herbs in the pitcher (or jar) and gently crush with a wooden spoon to release the juices
- Place the rooibos tea into the jar
- Fill the jar with the hot water, and let everything steep on the counter until it cools to room temperature. You may remove the rooibos after steeping for 10 minutes, or leave it in there for a full release of all its antioxidants and minerals.
- Once the tea cools off, pour it over ice and enjoy, and store the rest in the fridge. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Check out this video to learn more about it
Have you tried rooibos? What do YOU think?
Happy steeping,
Kita