Exact quantities, then the method.
A jug of iced Rooibos for a warm afternoon, brewed strong and chilled down fast. Rooibos has to be made with properly boiling water before it goes cold, or it never gives up its honey-malt body, so this starts as a hot concentrate. The clever part is dropping the sliced naartjie and a sprig of rosemary in while it is still hot, so the citrus and herb infuse into the tea before everything cools.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Iced Vanilla Rooibos with Naartjie and Rosemary recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/iced-tea/iced-vanilla-rooibos-with-naartjie-and-rosemary/
Naartjie is the loose-skinned Cape clementine, and rosemary grows on the same hillsides, so the two belong together; an ordinary clementine and a sprig from the garden do the job just as well. A couple of spoons of honey, stirred in while the brew is hot so it dissolves cleanly, round it off.
You'll need
- 4 Dragonfly Organic Vanilla Rooibos pyramid bags
- 500ml freshly drawn water, brought to a true rolling boil
- 1 small naartjie or clementine, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 1 small sprig of fresh rosemary, about 10cm long
- 2 tbsp acacia honey or raw blossom honey
- 250ml well-chilled still water
- Plenty of cubed ice for the serving glasses
- 100ml well-chilled sparkling water for an optional long-drink finish (optional)
Method
- Put the four rooibos bags in a 1-litre heatproof jug with the naartjie slices and the rosemary. Pour over the 500ml of rolling water and cover with a saucer to keep the heat in.
- Steep for a full eight minutes. Brewing the fruit and herb in at this hot stage, rather than adding them to a cold jug later, is what lets their aromatics work into the rooibos.
- Lift out the bags with a teaspoon, pressing each against the side, and discard them. Leave the fruit and rosemary in the jug.
- Stir the honey into the hot concentrate until it dissolves; do it now, as honey only leaves stringy threads in a cold jug.
- Pour in the chilled still water and add a good handful of ice, stirring to bring the temperature down quickly. Some of the ice will melt, which is part of getting the strength right.
- Fill four tall glasses with ice and strain the rooibos over, dropping a slice or two of naartjie and a little rosemary tip into each.
- For a longer, livelier drink, top each glass with a splash of chilled sparkling water and stir once. Leave it out for the cleaner, straight version.
- Serve with long straws. The jug keeps in the fridge for up to half a day, but fish out the fruit and herb after the first hour so the rosemary does not turn sharp.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Dragonfly Organic Vanilla Rooibos, 40 Tea Bags 100g
Rate it, keep it, add to it.
Made this? Rate it.
Tell us how it came out. A star rating and a line or two helps the next person who makes it.
Sign in to rate +5 to 25 reward points · sign-in required
The whole recipe as a PDF. Print it for the kitchen, or keep it on your phone for when you are offline.
Got something to add? Logged-in customers can submit additions to the Tea Wiki, admin-approved, your name on the byline, plus reward points.
Sign in to contribute