Photo: rieh

There are few things as South African as a nice hot cup of Rooibos tea. The name literally translates from Afrikaans as ‘red bush’ and is completely natural and caffeine-free (and a lovely reddish-brown colour when brewed).

Now, if you, like me, have a slight caffeine addiction, this might not be such a good thing. But rooibos has a whole host of other health benefits too, including being full of antioxidants and tannin-free. And, oh yes, delicious.

Usually drunk without milk, sometimes drunk with honey or lemon, rooibos is often simply called ‘bush tea’, and any South African household that doesn’t have some on hand isn’t really a South African household. Rooibos is so popular that when guests come for tea the first question will be, ‘Rooibos or Five Roses?’ Five Roses is probably the best-known brand of caffeinated tea and as such has become a bit of a catch-all phrase for Ceylon tea. If you go to a café and ask for Five Roses, you’ll get Ceylon of some description.

The last bit of info you need before tackling South African coffee shops is this: a red espresso is a cappuccino made with concentrated rooibos instead of coffee.  So now the only question is, “What kind of tea would you like?”