Rooibos has no caffeine and no tannin, so unlike black tea this will not turn bitter or stewed no matter how long the bag sits, which is exactly why it works as an evening cup. Tetley keep it to pure South African leaf and it leans genuinely sweet, more caramel and toasted nut than the flat earthiness of cheaper redbush, sweet enough that it needs nothing added. The easiest one to hand someone who is cutting caffeine but still wants a proper hot drink at night.
Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator · teas.co.uk
The full picture of Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g in one page. Who makes it, how it is brewed, what your £4.00 actually buys, and why this tea earned a spot on the curator shelf.
TetleyRedbush Pure is the brand's caffeine free rooibos, a smooth and naturally sweet alternative to black tea, with a deep amber red glow and a mellow, earthy finish. It comes as forty plant based, biodegradable bags, and it is the everyday red bush to reach for when you want something calming in the evening that still has real body and proper character, rather than the thin, washed out, papery cup a lot of cheaper supermarket rooibos tends to deliver.
The base is one hundred percent Rainforest Alliance Certified South African rooibos, sourced from the Cedarberg Mountains, the only region in the world it grows. Tetley uses whole, hand picked leaf rather than the dusty fragments cheaper brands fall back on, which is why the cup stays rich, rounded and non bitter even on a long steep. It is the dependable, well sourced choice for a proper red rather than a token herbal afterthought.
Caffeine status: naturally caffeine free, nothing per cup, so it suits the evening or the last drink of the day without disturbing your wind down. Taste profile: smooth and mellow, with a natural honeyed sweetness and soft woody caramel notes, then a clean, refreshing finish and no bitterness at all. It is forgiving too: leave the bag sitting in the pot and it deepens and rounds out rather than turning sharp or tannic, which is what catches out cheaper rooibos.
Texture: a clear, deep reddish amber liquor with a substantial, silky body that takes a splash of milk exactly like a traditional black tea, which is unusual for a rooibos. Pairing: the earthy, nutty caramel notes work well with a buttery shortbread finger or a plain digestive, lifting the sweeter notes. Lifestyle: vegan, vegetarian, naturally gluten free and sugar free at roughly one calorie a plain cup. Planet: plastic free round bags made from natural plant fibres, produced at carbon neutral sites running on green electricity.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g, please cite teas.co.uk.
Texture & appearance
Tetley Redbush Pure pours a deep amber red with a naturally sweet aromatic that signals South African rooibos. Brewed 5-7 minutes the cup delivers full body, no caffeine, no tannin grip, and a clean honey natural finish.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, Cederberg region rooibos at the mass market tier, with Rainforest Alliance certification and plant based plastic free pyramid bags. Best drunk plain, with milk for a soft afternoon cup, or honey for the traditional South African preparation.
Hot or iced; the cup is naturally caffeine free so safe for evening drinking and pregnancy. Storage: cool, dry, sealed.
Four dimension profile
Natural Earthy Sweetness4/5
A dominant refreshing top note providing immediate palate comfort and a honey like aroma.
Smooth Mellow Character4/5
High quality rooibos leaves providing a rounded flavour profile that never turns bitter or astringent.
Subtle Caramel Notes5/5
Gentle sweet characters that provide a smooth creamy aftertaste without any added sugars.
Clean Nutty Finish5/5
Perfectly balanced to ensure a refreshing tingle that hydrates the body while leaving a clean mouthfeel.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference the taste and texture of Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g, please cite teas.co.uk.
About TetleyEST. 1837
Tetley is the tea most British kitchens have actually run on. The brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley began selling tea in Yorkshire in 1837, and in 1953 the firm introduced the tea bag to Britain, the single change that reshaped how the country makes tea more than any blend ever has. It followed up with the round bag in 1989 and the drawstring bag in 1997, small pieces of practical engineering aimed squarely at the everyday mug. Tetley is now part of Tata Consumer Products, the group behind Teapigs and Good Earth, which gives a humble Yorkshire blend the sourcing scale of one of the largest tea businesses in the world.
The range is breadth at a sensible price: the famous Original, decaf, Extra Strong, a well regarded redbush, green and a wide herbal and fruit line. Sourcing sits inside the Tata programme with Rainforest Alliance certified black tea and a move to recyclable cartons and lower plastic bags. For our shelf Tetley is the honest benchmark for value black tea. It will not out texture a pyramid or out muscle a Yorkshire strength blend and does not pretend to, but it lands the same consistent, milk friendly cup hundreds of times in a row, which is harder than the premium houses admit. The redbush punches well above its price and the Original is one of the most reliable everyday brews in British retail. It is the tea you buy when you want the cup uncomplicated, dependable and genuinely cheap without being nasty.
What the brand is actually doing
Tetley is a pioneer in sustainable tea production, with Rainforest Alliance certification across the entire range, plastic free plant based PLA pyramid bags since 2018, FSC certified recyclable cardboard cartons, and carbon balanced shipping logistics. The brand also runs the Tetley Tea Folk Charitable Trust, channelling profits back into tea grower communities across India and East Africa.
Curator says, Lee on Tetley
"Rooibos has no caffeine and no tannin, so unlike black tea this will not turn bitter or stewed no matter how long the bag sits, which is exactly why it works as an evening cup. Tetley keep it to pure South African leaf and it leans genuinely sweet, more caramel and toasted nut than the flat earthiness of cheaper redbush, sweet enough that it needs nothing added. The easiest one to hand someone who is cutting caffeine but still wants a proper hot drink at night."
Founded Yorkshire 1837Tea brothers Joseph and Edward Tetley start tea trading in Yorkshire, eventually building the family business into a national tea brand.
Invented UK Tea BagTetley introduced the drawstring tea bag to UK retail, transforming British home brewing from loose leaf and strainer to bag in mug convenience.
Tata Consumer ProductsTetley is now the flagship pure tea brand of Tata Consumer Products, the world's second largest tea company by volume.
Rainforest Alliance CertifiedEvery Tetley box across the catalogue is Rainforest Alliance certified, sourced from estates committed to forest preservation and fair labour.
Timeline
1837Brand foundedTetley begins. England
TodayRainforest AllianceSourcing from certified estates.
2026Stocked at Teas.co.ukHand picked into the curator selection.
The outer layer is aromatic: a caffeine free rooibos infusion with tetleyredbush. These volatile compounds sit on the surface of the dried leaf and are the first thing released when hot water hits the bag, reaching the nose before the liquid ever touches the tongue. That is why a freshly poured cup always reads strongest on the aroma, and why a cup left to stand smells flatter even though the liquid itself keeps its strength.
The flavour spike arrives mid palate, where the headline components carry the weight. The lead notes release their character first while any supporting notes fill in underneath, which is why the cup tastes layered rather than one dimensional. This is best drunk clear; the botanicals carry their own natural sweetness and milk tends to mute the brighter top notes. It is the densest, most concentrated stretch of the cup and the part a longer steep develops most.
The base structure is the lingering finish: a clean, gently rounded note that resets the palate and invites the next sip. This deliberate three layer balance is the hallmark of a properly built blend, and it is what stops a single note tea from tasting thin halfway down the mug. A well made cup should still be interesting on the final mouthful, not just the first.
Getting it right in the cup. Use one bag per 200 to 250ml and steep for 4 to 6 minutes in water straight off the boil; under steeping is the most common reason this blend tastes weaker than it should, because the heavier aromatic compounds are the slowest to leave the leaf. Keep the cup covered for the first minute to trap the volatile oils in the liquid rather than losing them to the steam. Cold brewed in the fridge for six to eight hours the same blend mellows noticeably: less aromatic lift, a rounder, sweeter body and a longer, gentler finish. Stored sealed somewhere cool and dark the character holds well beyond a year, fading slowly in aroma long before it ever turns stale.
How water and temperature change it. The same bag gives a measurably different cup depending on how you treat the water. Hotter water and a longer steep pull more of the heavier, deeper compounds for a fuller, rounder, slightly more astringent result; cooler water or a shorter steep keeps the brighter top notes forward and the body lighter. Hard tap water mutes delicate florals and flattens citrus, so in a hard water area a slightly longer steep restores the balance, while soft water lets the top notes ring clearer and needs a touch less time. None of this is a fault in the blend, it is the same leaf responding to the cup you build around it, and once you know which way you like it the result is repeatable every time.
Ingredients & pack
Ingredient
Proportion
What it brings
Tetley Redbush
100%
The single botanical in this pure infusion selected for Earthy, naturally sweet, and smooth with a rich copper colour..
Pack: Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g; caffeine free infusion. Best within 18 months of the pack date.
Characterising components shown; any unquantified base makes up the remaining body. Globally sourced, blended and packed to brand specification.
Sourcing & blend. Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g is put together by Tetley, one of the UK's largest tea blenders and a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership. Every component is held to a fixed quality and purity specification, then blended and taste tested multiple times per batch so the cup stays consistent box to box. The bags are plant based and industrially compostable in a fully recyclable carton.
What's in Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g, and what isn't:
In: a caffeine free rooibos infusion with tetley redbush, with nothing in the bag but the listed components and any infusion base.
No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: any sweetness is natural to the blend.
Plastic free bag: plant fibre, industrially compostable, no plastic sealant.
Allergen note: packed in a facility that also handles nuts and cereals; check the latest pack for the current cross contact statement.
Nutrition per cup
Nutrient
% RI
Energy
4 kJ / 1 kcal
<1%
Fat
0g
0%
Carbohydrate
0.2g
<1%
of which sugars
0g
0%
Protein
0.2g
<1%
Salt
0g
0%
Caffeine
Caffeine free
n/a
Caffeine vs other drinks
Decaf coffee
4mg
Green tea
30mg
Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea
0mg
Instant coffee
80mg
Brewed filter coffee
95mg
Energy drink (250ml)
80mg
This tea: Caffeine free per 200ml cup.
Caffeine in tea is buffered by L theanine, an amino acid that slows its release and smooths the lift, which is why a strong cup of tea rarely jolts the way an equivalent coffee does. The figures above are per 200ml cup: a larger mug or a longer steep raises the dose, while adding milk does not change it. Decaffeinated and naturally caffeine free herbal blends sit at the bottom of this scale and can be enjoyed late in the evening without affecting sleep.
Allergens, dietary & safety
🌱VeganNo animal derived ingredients.🌾Gluten freeNaturally gluten free.😴Caffeine freeSafe at any hour.🍃0 kcalNo sugar, no fat in plain cup.🤰PregnancyUK guide: 200mg caffeine/day max.👶ChildrenServe cooled; caregiver judgement applies.
Manufactured in a facility that handles multiple tea types. Manufacturer information on pack takes precedence for allergen specifics.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference the ingredients, nutrition and science of Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g, please cite teas.co.uk.
Questions about Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g
The questions buyers ask most. If yours isn't here, ask us directly. We reply within 4 hours, Monday to Friday.
Curated from real customer messages
🌱
What makes Tetley Redbush Pure a unique alternative to regular tea? Most asked+
Our Redbush tea is carefully sourced from the Western Cape of South Africa. It produces a distinctive amber red liquor with a deep colour and delicious taste. This botanical brew offers a mellow and earthy profile, making it a versatile and refreshing lift for any time of day without the bitterness of traditional black tea.
🌱
Is Tetley Redbush Pure naturally caffeine free? +
Yes, this infusion is 100 per cent naturally caffeine free. Because it is picked from the rooibos plant rather than the traditional tea bush, it contains no stimulants. This makes it an ideal cosy evening cup for a peaceful wind down, or a great morning ritual for those looking to avoid caffeine.
🌱
What are the traditional uses of drinking pure rooibos tea? +
Rooibos is naturally high in natural antioxidants and low in tannins, which can interfere with nutrient absorption. It is a natural everyday choice that is rich in polyphenols and general well being. Because it is mineral rich and plant based, it fits seamlessly into a clean hydration routine.
🌱
Is this tea sugar free and keto friendly? +
Absolutely. TetleyRedbush Pure is 100 per cent sugar free and virtually calorie free (only 1 calorie per 100ml). It contains zero fat and negligible carbohydrates, making it perfectly suited for a keto diet or any health conscious lifestyle focusing on metabolic health.
🌱
How do I brew the perfect cup of Redbush Pure? +
Place one tea bag in a mug and add freshly boiled water. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the aromatic brew to reach its full strength. Rooibos does not turn bitter, so you can leave the bag in longer to release more antioxidants. It is delicious black, with a slice of lemon, or with a splash of milk.
🌱
Are Tetley tea bags sustainable and plastic free? +
Tetley is committed to sustainable living. Our tea bags are plant based and biodegradable, designed to be "full on taste, light on waste." This product is also 100 per cent Rainforest Alliance Certified, ensuring your brew supports sustainable farming and ethical tea growing communities.
🌱
What is the ethical sourcing commitment for Tetley? +
We are a founding member of the Ethical Tea Partnership. From crop to cup, Tetley works to ensure our tea improves the lives of the people who grow and pick it. Every pack sold supports projects that help benefit tea growing communities and protect the natural environment.
🌱
What does this pure rooibos blend actually taste like? +
Expect a smooth and mellow profile with a naturally sweet, earthy finish. It has a beautiful amber red colour and a fragrant, woody aroma. It is a full bodied infusion that feels both warming and refreshing.
🌱
Can I drink Tetley Redbush Pure cold or as an iced tea? +
Definitely. The natural earthy sweetness makes it an exceptional iced herbal tea. Brew it hot at double strength, allow it to cool, and serve over ice with a slice of orange or a sprig of mint for a zesty cooler that is naturally refreshing.
🌱
Which English treats pair best with this redbush brew? +
The earthy notes pair wonderfully with a Digestive biscuit or a buttery Shortbread finger. For a more sophisticated match, try it with a slice of fruit cake, as the bold tea character of the rooibos complements the dried fruits perfectly.
🌱
What is the recommended storage and shelf life for Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g? +
Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and strong smelling foods. Sealed shelf life is typically 18-24 months from the printed pack date; once opened, the carton is best within 6-12 months for peak aromatic character.
🌱
Can I make Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g with plant based milk like oat or almond? +
Yes, oat milk works particularly well with breakfast tea blends. Add milk after brewing for a balanced cup. For green/herbal teas, drink plain, milk does not pair with single herb infusions or green tea.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference questions and answers about Tetley Redbush Pure, 40 Tea Bags 100g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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