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South African Wild Rooibos Tea

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€10,95
€0,00 €10,95
€0,28 per cup
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The real South African redbush tea. Beyond organic, this Rooibos is harvested completely wild in its indigenous habitat in the Cederberg Mountains.

Naturally caffeine free.

Wild Rooibos Tasting Notes

A richly delicious infusion with deep earthy notes, bright red berries and cedar. Can be beautifully enhanced by the addition of a twist of lemon zest. If you enjoy sweetening your tea, Rooibos turns to caramel with a delicate drop of maple syrup.

Origin

Cederberg mountains, Western Cape, South Africa

Cost Per Cup

€0,28 per cup based on 2.5g of tea per 150ml of water and 2 infusions.
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How to infuse our Wild Rooibos Tea:

  • Quantity

    Use 2.5g of leaf per 150ml of water.

  • Temperature

    For the optimum infusion use 100°C water.

  • Time

    Infuse for 1 - 3 minutes, tasting regularly.

  • Infusions

    You can infuse this tea at least twice. With each careful infusion, different subtleties of flavour are revealed.

1 3

More infusion tips

How to infuse your rooibos tea is very personal, and these are just our recommendations based on experience. Please experiment with these variables to your heart's delight; this is a starting point for our Wild Rooibos, not hard and fast rules. The most delicious tea is the one you love.

Our guide uses a standard tea cup size (150ml/5.5 oz) as a measure, please adjust the quantity of rooibos accordingly for less or more water. Our whole loose leaves are of such a high quality that you can infuse our teas at least twice, and the second infusion is often better than the first, with different flavours revealed as the leaf softens. If you prefer your tea stronger, add more leaf, don’t leave it for longer (this will just make it bitter).

Try Wild Rooibos and our other most popular herbal teas in our marvellous Herbal Tea Gift Set!

Herbal Tea Gift Set
Short, stubby wild rooibos plants in the Cederberg mountains.

Rooibos "Red Bush" Tea

This is no ordinary tea harvest. But then Rooibos (Afrikaans for 'red bush') is no ordinary tea. Strictly speaking a legume, the needle-like leaves produce a deeply delicious caffeine-free drink. It has been used as a medicine to cure innumerable ills and drunk for pleasure for many thousands of years by the people of this area.

Two people riding horses on a dirt path past wild rooibos in the Cederberg mountains with the sun shining brightly in the background.

Harvested on horseback to protect the local ecosystem

This is real bush-tea - it's beyond organic and indigenous. To protect the delicate ecosystem of the Cederberg Mountains it's harvested on horseback with machetes, ensuring no damage is done to the fragile local environment.

This is sustainable farming at its best.

Henrietta Lovell & Dr. Frikkie Strauss standing with a horse in the Cederberg Mountains.

Where is our rooibos tea sourced from?

We source it from a farmer who is also the local GP - Dr. Frikkie Strauss. He is an amazing man who is not just interested in saving people but the environment and the endangered local Cape Leopard.

Rooibos Hangover Rescue Recipe

An extract from "Infused: Adventures in Tea"...

"It's our wild rooibos, sweetened with a bit of maple syrup, brought alive by a squeeze of lemon juice or a spritz of lemon zest and balanced, like a salty caramel, with a single grain of sea salt. It's smooth, deep and mellow and, goddamn it, I think it really works. Rooibos has been used for thousands of years by local tribesman in Africa to treat dehydration. The maple and the salt provide the necessary electrolytes to make it isotonic.

Use 3g of rooibos tea per 150ml of boiling water and steep for three to five minutes. Strain and stir in: half to one teaspoon of maple syrup, according to preference; a squeeze of lemon; and a flake of sea salt. Add a twist of lemon zest on top.

When I'm particularly crushed by a hangover, crushed so small I feel like a little girl lost in an IKEA car park in a strange city as night falls, I use vanilla rooibos.

You don't have to buy a flavoured rooibos. Some synthetic vanilla flavourings come from by-products of the wood-pulping industry and the natural ones might come from the anal glands of beavers. (Okay, the beaver bum juice is a rare one you're unlikely to stumble across, but it is a ‘natural' flavouring.) It's safer to just use vanilla pods.

Fill a glass jar, (I use one with a wired, flip-top, rubber-sealed lid) full of rooibos. Take a vanilla pod and cut it open lengthways, as if opening the belly of a fish. Stick it in the jar so that it’s entirely submersed in the rooibos (cut the pod into pieces if you need to). Put the jar in a cupboard you use regularly and leave it for a couple of weeks, giving it a shake every time you see it. You can use a zip-lock bag instead, but I’ve found glass is better at holding the flavour over time. The good stuff has so much flavour, you want to keep it at its best. And the really good stuff is wild."

What is rooibos tea?

Rooibos is a naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion made from the needle-like leaves of the Aspalathus linearis plant. Though it's commonly referred to as tea, it is not from the Camellia sinensis plant. Rooibos is a type of legume indigenous to South Africa's Cederberg mountains in the Cape of South Africa - it cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The word rooibos means "red bush" in Afrikaans, and rooibos tea is also known as 'red bush tea' or 'red tea'.

Why choose Rare Tea Company rooibos rea?

Because Rooibos comes from a fragile ecosystem in a semi-arid desert; monocropping and industrial farming are having devastating effects on this UNESCO World Heritage area. Ours is harvested wild from ancient bushes. There is almost zero ecological impact from this carefully managed harvesting and the area is protected.

Our Wild Harvest Rooibos also tastes so much richer - deep earthy, bright red berry and woody notes, with a subtle flavour of burnt caramel.

Does rooibos have caffeine?

Rooibos does not have caffeine. Because rooibos is completely caffeine free, an infusion of rooibos is an ideal drink any time of the day, a great alternative to caffeinated tea or coffee.

A strong brew is also delicious with milk - a great replacement for English Breakfast tea as a comforting bedtime drink or for a milky coffee in the morning, when you're feeling a bit too hyper but need a hot drink (rooibos also contains more antioxidants than coffee).

Is rooibos good for you?

What are the benefits of rooibos tea?

Rooibos has been enjoyed and used as a natural medicine for thousands of years by the indigenous people of South Africa. It is recommended there for children with upset stomachs or babies being weaned. Rooibos can be especially good for recovery from sickness, a hangover, or whenever we might need to rehydrate, whether winding down at night after a stressful day or after exercise.

It is especially good for hydration through its balance of essential minerals, antioxidants, and electrolytes.

Rooibos has high levels of flavonoids and contains the following minerals: calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, sodium, potassium and zinc. It also has polyphenols, especially aspalathin, which is only found in Rooibos. The combination of these key vitamins and minerals means that rooibos consumption can help the body reabsorb water quickly- if you're really dehydrated, you need salt and sugar - the minerals in rooibos are not enough. Adding a flake of salt and a drop of something sweet like honey or maple syrup will help to increase the isotonic properties of rooibos. This also helps the natural caramel notes emerge, transforming the woody flavours to toffee.

A number of peer-reviewed studies in scientific journals have examined the health effects of rooibos, such as its regulation of cholesterol levels and reduction of the risk of Type 2 diabetes, plus its impact on lowering blood sugar levels. However, many of these studies are not conducted on humans and are not conclusive. The connection between rooibos consumption and the reduced risk of heart disease, through potential improvement of cardiovascular function is most supported. Yet, it is important to note that many studies use concentrations of compounds within rooibos, not infusions of rooibos.

How do you make rooibos tea?

To make a hot rooibos tea use 3g (0.2 oz) and boiling water. The ideal infusion time depends on the strength of flavour you enjoy - anything from 1-5 minutes. Because it contains almost no tannins or bitter elements, it can handle a long infusion without over infusing.

Rooibos is delicious hot or cold - we recommend making a hot infusion and leaving it to cool before putting it in the fridge if you want to enjoy it cold. It will stay stable for a few days.

While it cannot be considered a cure-all, Rooibos can support overall well being and tastes wonderful - which always makes you feel good.

Shipping, delivery & more...

EU Shipping Information

Europe Tracked Delivery from €5.95/DKK 45/CHF 6

FREE Europe Tracked Delivery when you spend €70/DKK 515/CHF 65 or more

Europe Express Tracked Delivery from €21.95/DDK 165/CHF 21

FREE Europe Express Tracked Delivery when you spend €120/DKK 860 or more

Europe Express Courier from €26.95/DKK 205/CHF 26

Availability of rates depends on location and order weight. For a complete overview of our shipping rates please see our delivery page. Prices displayed at the checkout are based on live currency exchange rates and may differ slightly from the listed price.

IOSS for EU Orders

Rare Tea Company uses IOSS (Import One Stop Shop) for EU orders placed on the website.

How IOSS works and how it is applied on the website.

The IOSS scheme allows us to collect VAT during checkout on your behalf, meaning that no VAT is due when your order is assessed by your local authority.

  • If the combined value of the products in your cart are equal to or below €150 (excluding tax), VAT will be included at the point of sale and you should not be charged any fees when your order arrives.*
  • Once the €150 threshold is exceeded VAT will be removed from the items in your cart and from this point onwards when your order ships you will be liable for local VAT, duties and import fees.**

To avoid unnecessary import charges, keep your orders under €150 (excluding tax and shipping). Tax is included on all applicable products at Rare Tea - if your order is applicable for IOSS tax will be shown at the checkout.

Valid for IOSS

Not valid for IOSS

Your order confirmation and shipping confirmation emails will also confirm whether your order is valid for IOSS.

As with all complex shipping methods, the IOSS system isn't foolproof, and orders that are valid for IOSS are occasionally incorrectly charged VAT by customs.

If an order shipped via IOSS and that you have paid VAT on does get incorrectly assessed by customs, please don't worry. It's usually just a mistake that can be fixed by contacting customs and explaining that the order shipped via IOSS with VAT already paid.

If this does happen to you then we suggest the following:

  1. Please contact us before speaking to customs.
  2. We will double check that the order was valid for IOSS.
  3. We will provide a VAT receipt and a shipping label as evidence.
  4. Contact your local customs for assistance, using the shipping label as evidence.
  5. If all else fails we will attempt to get our shipping provider to investigate, but this process can take a while.

*Please note - this does not include any applicable duty charged when the item is cleared. Within the EU tea is free from duty, but your region might have a different rules for non-tea items such as tins and teaware. Any duty charged is payable by you, the customer before delivery via your local customs authority.
**In special cases where custom fees have been unexpected we have retroactively refunded these in select cases. As of the 15th February 2023 (the start of IOSS) we have discontinued this process.

What is IOSS?

The Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) is the electronic portal businesses can use since 1 July 2021 to comply with their VAT e-commerce obligations on distance sales of imported goods.

Up until the 1st July 2021, no import VAT has to be paid for commercial goods of a value up to EUR 22. New VAT eCommerce rules abolished this provision as of 1st July 2021. Thus, from 1 July 2021, all commercial goods imported into the EU from a third country or third territory is subject to VAT irrespective of their value.

What is IOSS for?

IOSS allows suppliers and electronic interfaces selling imported goods to buyers in the EU to collect, declare and pay the VAT to the tax authorities, instead of making the buyer pay the VAT at the moment the goods are imported into the EU as it was previously the case (for products over 22 EUR).

What are the advantages of IOSS?

IOSS facilitates the collection, declaration and payment of VAT for sellers making distance sales of imported goods to buyers in the EU. The IOSS also makes the process easier for the buyer, who is only charged at the time of purchase, and therefore does not face any surprise fees when the goods are delivered. If the seller is not registered in the IOSS, the buyer has to pay the VAT and usually a customs clearance fee charged by the transporter.

What countries does IOSS apply to?

IOSS applies to the EU member states of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

It does not apply to the EEA.

How much tax will I get charged?

Tax will be charged at the base VAT rate of the shipping country.

Full details of IOSS can be found on the European Comission website.

Any questions? Please get in touch!

Send us a message using the form below, or call +44 (0) 207 681 0115 (9am - 5pm GMT, Monday - Friday).

Returns

The Rare Tea Lady believes that our teas are some of the greatest in the world, and that our range and service are second to none.

In the isolated case that you are not completely satisfied with any product you purchase from our website, please get in contact with our customer services team to discuss returning your order.*

In most instances, we will give you a full refund of the item's cost, excluding postage. We may ask you to return the item to us.** Customers in the UK & European Union have statutory rights not affected by this guarantee, but any bags of tea must remained sealed for this to be in effect.

*We only accept returns/refunds for tea within 30 days of receipt, because it is impossible for us to know if the tea has been stored correctly.

**We will endeavour to ask for pictures where possible - but if you have changed your mind and are outside of any statutory rights time period, return postage is payable by you.

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