# Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g

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**Price:** £4.00 GBP

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**Canonical URL:** https://teas.co.uk/product/tick-tock-original-rooibos-80-tea-bags-180g/
**Source:** teas.co.uk, UK tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

**Brand:** Tick Tock
**Price:** £4.00 GBP
**Servings:** 80 cups
**Price per cup:** 5.00p
**Caffeine:** Caffeine-Free
**Brew temperature:** 100C
**Brew time:** 5-7 min
**GTIN:** 5032558003030
**Stock:** instock

## Summary

Tick Tock Original Rooibos is the plain red bush from the brand that put rooibos in ordinary British kitchens, picked into the Teas.co.uk curator selection as the caffeine-free box that actually solves the evening.Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. Rooibos is its own plant rather than a herbal blend, so the cup has colour, body and a long honeyed finish. It has no tannin in it, which means it cannot go bitter: five minutes, or fifteen, and leave the bag in if you forget.Curator notes: the tasting profile is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. We run same-day UK dispatch on every order placed before 2pm Monday to Friday. Common questions are answered in the detailed Q and A tab below.

## Description

Tick Tock Original Rooibos is the most useful caffeine-free box you can put in a British kitchen, and the reason is that it is not a herbal infusion pretending to be tea. Rooibos is its own plant, a shrub from the Cederberg in South Africa, and it makes a drink with colour, body and a long sweet finish. Peppermint and camomile do not. That difference is why a household that stops drinking tea at four o'clock can switch to this and not feel it has switched to hot water with a smell. The other thing worth knowing is that rooibos has no tannin in it, and tannin is what makes ordinary tea go bitter. Which means the single commonest mistake in British tea making is simply not possible here. Leave the bag in. Leave it in for fifteen minutes if you like. You get a stronger drink, not a spoiled one, and that makes it the one box in the cupboard that survives being made by somebody who is not paying attention. The Taste Profile

Natural sweetness: ●●●●● (5/5) Honeyed and woody, and entirely from the plant. There is no sugar in it and it does not need any.
Bitterness: ●○○○○ (1/5) None. No tannin in the leaf means nothing to turn hard, whatever you do to it.
Body: ●●●○○ (3/5) Rounder than a herbal infusion and lighter than a black tea. Enough to take milk and enough to feel like a proper drink.
Caffeine: ●○○○○ (1/5) None at all, and not because it has been taken out. Rooibos is not a tea plant and never had any.

Teas.co.uk Curator Rating: 4.5 / 5 - Our expert verdict from the curators at Teas.co.uk The Story Behind Tick Tock Tick Tock is the British brand that did most to put rooibos in ordinary kitchens rather than in health-food shops, and it has sold it under the same plain name for long enough that a lot of people call the drink Tick Tock rather than calling it rooibos. The range runs to green rooibos, flavoured versions and Earl Grey rooibos; this is the plain one, which is where anybody sensible starts. The tasting profile above is our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description. Packaging: Follow the current UK pack and local-authority guidance; components can require different disposal routes. What You Are Actually Buying 

Genuinely caffeine-free: not decaffeinated. Rooibos is a different plant from Camellia sinensis and has no caffeine to remove, so nothing has been stripped out of it.
It takes milk: which almost no caffeine-free drink does. That matters if what you actually miss in the evening is a milky mug rather than tea specifically.
What it is not: not black tea, not a herbal blend, and not a decaf. It will not taste like a cup of builder's tea and it is not trying to.
 How Does Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g Compare to: 
Clipper Organic Fairtrade Tea, 80 Tea Bags 232g: the caffeinated everyday cup at the same count and the same price per cup. The rooibos is what you switch to after about four in the afternoon, and between them they cover a day.
Taylors of Harrogate Yorkshire Tea for Hard Water, 80 Tea Bags 250g: as strong and as caffeinated as this shelf gets. The exact opposite purchase, for the same money, and worth owning alongside rather than instead.
Clipper Fairtrade Organic Green Tea, 80 Tea Bags 160g: Green tea has less caffeine than black but it is not none, which is the whole distinction this rooibos exists to make.
 Ideal Brewing Conditions Rooibos is brewed hotter and longer than tea, which surprises people who have been taught to be careful with delicate drinks. It is not delicate. The plant gives up its colour quickly and its sweetness slowly, so a three-minute rooibos is a red cup that tastes of not very much, and a six-minute one is the drink you were after. The Evening Cup 
Water: straight off the boil at 100 degrees. There is no argument for anything cooler.
Measure: one bag to 200ml, and a large mug is genuinely fine here because you can simply brew it longer.
Steep: five minutes as a starting point. Eight is better. There is no ceiling, because there is nothing in the bag that turns hard.
Finish: clear, or with milk, or with a spoon of honey. All three are traditional and all three work.
Leave the bag in if you are the kind of person who forgets. It is the one box in the cupboard where that is not a mistake.
 The Pot, And The Children's Cup 
Four bags to 800ml in a pot, ten minutes, and it will sit happily on a table without going bitter as it stands.

Iced, brew six bags in 500ml for ten minutes, cool, and dilute with cold water over ice. It keeps three or four days in the fridge.
 Getting It Right in the Cup 
Water temperature: 100 degrees, freshly boiled.
Measure: one bag per 200ml, or one bag and a longer brew for a mug.
Steep: five minutes minimum, longer is better, and there is no upper limit.
Service: clear, with milk, or with honey.
Storage: sealed, dry and dark. Rooibos is a robust dried plant and holds its character for a long time; an eighty-bag box is not a race.
Best with: honey on toast, malt loaf, dried apricots, or plain digestives late in the evening.
 Safety And Purity Ingredients and dietary suitability: Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change. Caffeine: rooibos is not Camellia sinensis and contains no caffeine as a plant. That is botany rather than a claim about this particular pack, and it is why this is described as caffeine-free rather than as decaffeinated. Nothing has been removed from it. Certification: this line is not sold under a name that states organic, unlike some others in the same range, and we have not assumed anything from that either. Any marks are printed on the box. Origin: rooibos grows commercially only in South Africa, which is what we record. Bag material: the material and the disposal route are on the box. Traditional use: rooibos is the South African household evening drink, taken by adults and children alike.

## Product Questions

What is rooibos?A shrub from the Cederberg in South Africa, and its own plant entirely. It is not tea and it is not a herbal blend, which is why the cup has real colour and body where a peppermint or a camomile has neither. The older British name for it is redbush. Is it really caffeine-free?Yes, and it is not a decaf. Rooibos is a different plant from the tea bush and never had caffeine in it to remove. That is botany rather than a claim about this pack, and it is the distinction worth understanding: nothing has been stripped out of it. How long do I brew it?Five minutes at least, and longer is better. Rooibos gives up its colour quickly and its sweetness slowly, so a three-minute cup is red and tastes of very little. Eight minutes is a proper drink. There is no upper limit. What if I leave the bag in?Nothing bad happens. There is no tannin in rooibos, and tannin is what makes ordinary tea go bitter, so a bag left in for fifteen minutes gives you a stronger drink rather than a spoiled one. It is the one box in the cupboard that survives being made by somebody not paying attention. Can I put milk in it?Yes, and it is good with it. That is unusual for a caffeine-free drink and it matters, because what a lot of people miss in the evening is a milky mug rather than tea specifically. Honey works too, and so does drinking it clear. Does it taste like tea?No, and it should not be bought expecting it to. It is warm, woody and honeyed, with a long sweet finish and none of the brisk grip of black tea. What it shares with tea is colour, body and the feeling of being a proper drink. Does it work iced?Very well, and better than most teas, because there is nothing to turn bitter as it sits. Brew six bags in 500ml for ten minutes, cool, then dilute with cold water over ice. It keeps three or four days in the fridge and needs no sugar. Is it organic or certified?Some lines in this brand's range are sold under names that state organic; this one is not, and we have not assumed anything from that either. Any marks are printed on the box. How should I store it and how long does it keep?Sealed, dry and dark. Rooibos is a robust dried plant with no volatile scent to lose, so it holds its character far longer than a green tea or an Earl Grey does. An eighty-bag box is not a race. The best-before date is on the box.

## Ingredients & Nutrition

ComponentProportionWhat it bringsRooibosThe whole of the blendEverything in the cup: the deep red-brown colour, the woody honeyed sweetness, the round body and the long finish. Nothing is blended in alongside it.TanninnoneThe reason this cannot go bitter. Tannin is what turns an over-brewed tea hard, and rooibos has none, so a bag left in gives a stronger drink rather than a spoiled one.CaffeinenoneRooibos is not the tea plant and never had caffeine to remove. This is caffeine-free rather than decaffeinated, and nothing has been stripped out of it.Plant per bag2.25gOur arithmetic on 180g across 80 bags. The brand's 40-bag pack works out to the same weight per bag, which cross-checks the figure.Pack: Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g; a naturally caffeine-free rooibos infusion, GTIN 5032558003030. Store sealed, dry and dark. Read the ingredient declaration, any certification marks, the bag material and the best-before date off the current UK pack.Characterising components shown. The origin is stated at country level only, because rooibos grows commercially nowhere but South Africa. No health claim of any kind is made on this page.Sourcing & blend. Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g is put together by Tick Tock, the British brand that did most to move rooibos out of health-food shops and into ordinary kitchens, and which has sold it under the same plain name long enough that many people call the drink Tick Tock rather than calling it rooibos. The range runs to green rooibos, flavoured versions and an Earl Grey rooibos; this is the plain one. Our assessment of the cup rests on the pack format and the brand's published description.What's in Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g, and what isn't:In: rooibos in a bag, at 2.25g a bag, with nothing blended in alongside it.No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: a plain unflavoured rooibos, so there is nothing to sweeten or colour. All the sweetness in the cup is natural to the plant, which is exactly why it needs no sugar.

## Flavour Science

The flavour of Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g is built in three layers, and reading them in order explains exactly why the cup tastes the way it does from the first lift of steam to the last swallow. It also explains the one thing everybody notices about rooibos, which is that it will not go bitter.The outer layer is aromatic: warm, woody and faintly sweet, closer to the smell of hay or dried fruit than to anything in a tea caddy. Rooibos is fermented and dried in the sun, which is where the red colour and much of that warmth come from, and the aromatic compounds it carries are heavier and less volatile than a tea's. That is why a cup of rooibos left standing still smells of itself twenty minutes later, where a green tea or an Earl Grey would have gone quiet.The flavour spike arrives mid palate as sweetness rather than as strength. Rooibos gives up its colour in the first minute and its flavour over the next five, which is the opposite of what British tea drinkers are trained to expect and the reason so many first cups disappoint. A three-minute rooibos is a red cup that tastes of very little. The honeyed, woody middle that people remember only arrives with a proper steep, and it keeps building rather than peaking. There is no astringent counterweight to it, because the plant carries no tannin, so what you get is sweetness with nothing pulling against it.The base structure is the lingering finish: long, round and still sweet at the end, with no dry grip at all. That absence of grip is the whole character of the drink. It is what makes rooibos comfortable to drink late, what lets it take milk without needing to be strong, and what makes it impossible to over-brew. A tea that cannot turn hard also cannot be rescued by being brewed short, which is why the advice here runs the other way from almost every other page on this site.Getting it right in the cup. Use one bag per 200ml in water straight off the boil and steep for at least five minutes; eight is better and there is no upper limit, because nothing in the bag turns hard. A large mug is genuinely fine, which is unusual, because you can simply brew it longer rather than needing more leaf. Squeeze the bag if you like: there is no penalty. Cold brewed in the fridge for eight hours it gives a lighter, cleaner, still-sweet drink that keeps three or four days without souring, and for an iced jug it is better to brew six bags hot and strong for ten minutes and then dilute over ice. Stored sealed somewhere cool and dark it holds its character for a long time, far longer than a green tea, because there is no delicate volatile aroma to lose.How water and temperature change it. The same bag gives a measurably different cup depending on how you treat the water, though rooibos is much less sensitive than tea is. Hotter water and a longer steep pull more of the heavier, sweeter compounds for a fuller, darker, rounder result, and since there is no bitterness waiting behind them there is no risk in going further. Cooler water or a shorter steep keeps the cup light and slightly thinner, which some people prefer with milk. Hard tap water matters far less here than with tea, because there are no delicate florals or citrus notes to mute and nothing for the minerals to flatten; a chalky-water kitchen that ruins a green tea will make a perfectly good rooibos. None of this is a fault in the plant, it is a robust dried botanical responding to the cup you build around it, and once you know which way you like it the result is repeatable every time.

## Recipe Ideas

Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g cannot go bitter, which makes it far more useful in a kitchen than tea is: you can brew it hard, reduce it, freeze it and cook with it without the usual penalty. Recipes, born here first The Long Evening Mug How to make The Long Evening Mug with Tick Tock Original Rooibos. 8 min 1 mug Easy You'll need 1 bag Tick Tock Original Rooibos 250ml just boiled water A splash of milk, optional Honey, optional Method Pour 250ml of just boiled water over one bag. Leave it for at least five minutes, and eight if you can wait. The colour arrives in the first minute; the flavour takes the rest. Leave the bag in if you get distracted. Nothing bad happens. Drink clear, or with a splash of milk, or with a spoon of honey. What you'll end up with: A deep red-brown mug, honeyed and woody, with no caffeine and no grip. The most common mistake is brewing it like tea and giving up after three minutes. Red Cappuccino How to make Red Cappuccino with Tick Tock Original Rooibos. 10 min 1 cup Easy You'll need 3 bags Tick Tock Original Rooibos 100ml just boiled water 150ml milk, dairy or oat A dusting of cinnamon Method Brew 3 bags in only 100ml of just boiled water for 10 minutes, to make a dark concentrate. Heat and froth 150ml of milk. Pour the milk over the concentrate and dust with cinnamon. What you'll end up with: A South African cafe standard, and the closest thing to a milky coffee that contains no caffeine at all. Iced Rooibos Jug How to make Iced Rooibos Jug with Tick Tock Original Rooibos. 12 min + chill 1 litre Easy You'll need 6 bags Tick Tock Original Rooibos 500ml just boiled water, plus 500ml cold A sliced orange Plenty of ice Method Brew 6 bags in 500ml of just boiled water for 10 minutes. Lift the bags out and top up with 500ml of cold water. Chill, then serve over ice with slices of orange. What you'll end up with: A jug that keeps three or four days without souring or going bitter, and needs no sugar. Better than any iced tea for a table with children at it. Rooibos Poached Apricots How to make Rooibos Poached Apricots with Tick Tock Original Rooibos. 25 min 4 servings Easy You'll need 4 bags Tick Tock Original Rooibos 500ml just boiled water 250g dried apricots A cinnamon stick and a strip of orange peel Method Brew 4 bags in 500ml for 10 minutes, then lift them out. Add the apricots, a cinnamon stick and a strip of orange peel. Simmer gently for 15 minutes until the fruit is plump, then cool in the liquid. What you'll end up with: Fruit poached in something sweet that contains no sugar. Rooibos can be reduced hard without turning bitter, which is why it works here where tea does not. Rooibos Ice Cubes How to make Rooibos Ice Cubes with Tick Tock Original Rooibos. 12 min + freeze 1 tray Easy You'll need 3 bags Tick Tock Original Rooibos 300ml just boiled water An ice cube tray Method Brew 3 bags in 300ml for 10 minutes, then cool completely. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Use them in the iced jug above so it does not water down as it melts. What you'll end up with: Ice that strengthens a drink instead of diluting it. Worth doing with rooibos specifically, because the cubes never carry the bitterness frozen tea does.

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