Rooibos

Rooibos is Afrikaans for ”red bush” & this funky bush grows solely in South Africa along the mountainous area; Cederberg in the West Coast District of the Western Cape province. Rooibos was supposedly first introduced to the European market by Carl Peter Thunberg in the 1770’s after hanging out with the Khoisan people from the Cederberg.

The rooibos leaves are picked, cut & then left to ferment in rolls underground. The leaves are dried thereafter. The fermentation enhances the rooibos’ characteristic flavor & red color.