Exact quantities, then the method.
This is rooibos the way it's drunk in the Cederberg farmhouses, where the bush actually grows: a deep red, caffeine-free cup brewed hard with fresh orange peel and a little cinnamon, then softened with honey and a splash of warm milk. It turns plain rooibos into something comforting enough to drink from breakfast right through the evening.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the South African Style Hot Cup recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/rooibos/south-african-style-hot-cup/
Because rooibos has no caffeine and very little tannin, you can brew it long and strong without it ever turning bitter. This version uses Tetley Redbush Pure, Rainforest Alliance certified rooibos from the Western Cape, and takes about eight minutes start to finish.
You'll need
- 2 Tetley Redbush Pure rooibos tea bags
- 500ml freshly drawn water, brought to a full rolling boil
- 2 wide strips of orange peel, white pith trimmed away (use a vegetable peeler)
- 1 small cinnamon stick, or a quarter teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 to 2 teaspoons runny honey, to taste
- A splash of warm whole milk per cup, optional, for the traditional farmhouse finish
- 1 star anise, optional, for a deeper spiced version
Method
- Warm a teapot or heatproof jug with a little hot water, tip it out, then add the rooibos bags, orange peel and cinnamon stick.
- Pour over a full rolling boil. Rooibos is not a true tea, so boiling water draws out colour and body rather than tannin, which means no bitterness; a hard boil gives you the deepest red and the roundest, woody-caramel flavour.
- Steep for 6 minutes. Rooibos cannot really be over-brewed, so give it the full time for a deep reddish amber and a proper body, and push to 8 minutes if you like it stronger.
- Lift out the tea bags and press them gently against the side to release the last of the colour, then remove the orange peel and cinnamon.
- Stir the honey through while the brew is still hot so it dissolves completely instead of settling at the bottom of the cup.
- Pour into warmed cups. For the traditional Cape finish, top each with a splash of warm milk, which rooibos has the body to carry just like a strong Black Tea. For the cleanest, nuttiest cup, drink it black.
The tea it is made with, and what to make next.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Tetley Redbush Pure, 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