Sun-baked and wild, this red bush shrub comes from South Africa’s fynbos, a biodiverse shrubland of sandy soils, bright light, and coastal winds. Rooibos grows as an airy, broomy plant with fine, needlelike branchlets, well suited to the dry slopes of the Western Cape’s Cederberg region.
After harvest, the leafy stems are cut and bundled. The fresh-cut material is moistened and bruised, then spread out to oxidize in the open air. During this slow transformation ~ often called fermentation ~ the greenery turns red-brown and yields a copper-hued infusion.
In the cup, Rooibos feels smooth and rounded, with a naturally sweet taste that can suggest honeyed hay, faint cedar, and soft vanilla notes. In Britain it’s widely known as Redbush, often brewed in a black-tea style, with or without milk.
