Rooibos tea, also known as Red tea, Bush tea and Redbush tea, has become the hottest trend in the tea industry. Deep in the heart of South Africa, in the mountains and valleys of the Cedarberg region near Cape Town, vast vistas, fields of verdant green bushes, fill the landscape. Traveling throughout this precipitous expanse, one may not suspect that this bright bush, which the locals call Rooibos, (pronounced “roy-boss”), could be such a versatile and remarkable herb. Among Rooibos' many uses, Rooibos' most popular utilization is as a tisane, or herbal beverage.

Rooibos tea, like most tea (Camellia Sinensis tea... "real" tea), goes through a fermentation process. Rooibos tea is finely chopped, bruised and left to ferment in heaps. Rooibos tea is then left to dry in the African sun, where it changes from a vivid green to a deep mahogany red the unique color for which Rooibos tea is known and adored.

More than 300 years ago, the indigenous Khoisan tribe from the mountainous regions of S. Africa’s Western Cape discovered that they could brew a sweet, tasty tea from the wild Rooibos leaves and stems, that they cut, bruised with wooden hammers, fermented in heaps and then sun-dried.

In 1772 botanist Carl Humberg was introduced to the tea by the Khoi people. For generations after this, Rooibos tea was enjoyed (primarily by the South Africans) for it's cool, sweet, refreshing flavor. In 1904, a Russian immigrant named Benjamin Ginsberg realized Rooibos' untapped marketing potential, and began offering Rooibos tea globally calling Rooibos "Mountain Tea" as an herbal substitute to tea. Thus, the Worldwide Rooibos Revolution had begun.

Due to the difficulties buying and shipping "real" tea from war-ridden Asia during World War II, the demand for a substitute beverage was urgent. Since Rooibos tea was such a fitting alternative, Rooibos' popularity rapidly rose.
But it wasn't until decades later that Rooibos teas' real success began. In 1968, South African mother Annique Theron fortuitously stumbled across Rooibos teas' ability to calm her baby, relieving the infant of colic and insomnia. Gratified by Rooibos' natural healing potential, Annique went on to investigate and document Rooibos' health-promoting properties. In 1970, Annique published her findings a book titled "Allergies: An Amazing Discovery." With this publication, Rooibos tea first became widely recognized worldwide.

Recently, the tea industry has seen yet another resounding rush for Red Tea. Within the past year, sales for Rooibos tea have spiked about 70 percent. This is due partially to the fact that, of course, that tea is "hot," but also for more surreptitious means found in Pop Culture. Widely acclaimed throughout the media and a New York Times Bestseller, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith extols the delicious qualities of naturally sweet Rooibos tea. Set in Botswana, Africa, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency is the first book in a series (of the same title), wherein the main character, Precious Ramotswe, frequently entertains clients and visitors with a cup of what is referred to as "Bush" tea or "Redbush" tea. The enormous success of this series seems to have catalyzed a remarkable demand for Red tea, bringing Rooibos tea once again to the forefront of the beverage world.

Rooibos tea has expanded from a small herb indigenous to a select region of South Africa, known only to a small group of tribesman, into one of the most consumed and well-known herbs in the world. The wonderful flavor and startling versatility make Rooibos worth the praise it has received, a mainstay for the converted and a must-try for the not-yet enlightened.