Citable formats
For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to Teas.co.uk.
Red and green rooibos come from the same plant; the difference is how far the leaf is allowed to oxidise. Tick Tock cuts that step short with heat, and the result tastes more like a gentle green tea than like the redbush most people know.
Same plant, shorter oxidation
Ordinary rooibos turns rust red because the cut leaf is left to oxidise before drying, much as black tea is. For green rooibos, Tick Tock cuts that natural oxidation short with heat. The comparison that makes sense of it is black tea against green tea, another single plant taken two ways. The redbush most people know is warm and woody; this is lighter and grassier, with a faint floral note, and it pours pale gold.
Tick Tock is an independent family rooibos company, now run by Bruce Ginsberg and his daughter Georgia, the fourth generation, and the family traces its rooibos story back to 1903. Its rooibos comes from the Cederberg mountains north of Cape Town and is harvested by hand. This box is organic and, like any rooibos, naturally caffeine-free: the plant never contained caffeine, so nothing has been taken out.
Not green tea, and not red rooibos either
The name causes confusion. Green tea is made from the tea plant, caffeine and all, whereas green rooibos is a South African shrub without any. The two share a grassy character and little else. Nor is this a paler take on Tick Tock Original: the body is noticeably lighter, and anyone expecting that deep, full red cup will be surprised. Treat it as a drink in its own right.
The brand describes it as light and delicate with no bitterness, which makes it a good choice if you find ordinary green tea too sharp. The bags are lighter as well, forty to a 72g box, or about 1.8g each, which is normal for this leaf rather than a short measure. One bag makes one cup, so the box gives forty.
Brewing it hot, and better still iced
Use water just off the boil, around 95 degrees Celsius, and give it five minutes. A full rolling boil flattens the floral note, and a saucer over the mug keeps the lighter aromas in. Because it will not go bitter, an extra couple of minutes is harmless. Drink it black, in a smaller cup than your usual builder's mug, since milk covers the grassy, floral character you bought it for.
Our favourite way to drink it is cold. The light, hay-like character that can seem thin in a mug turns clean and refreshing over ice. Brew several bags in a jug of hot water, let it cool, then chill it and serve with ice. With no caffeine to think about, a jug can sit in the fridge for the whole household through a summer afternoon.
The packs we stock
- Tick Tock Organic Green Rooibos Tea, 40 Pack 72g (barcode 5032558003047)
What to eat with it
- Britannia Good Day Butter Cookies, 216g: A plain butter cookie is gentle enough not to drown out a light, floral cup.
- Border Butterscotch Crunch Organic Biscuits, 135g: Butterscotch sweetness sits well beside the faint natural sweetness of green rooibos, hot or iced.
- Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: Ginger and dark chocolate make a lively contrast with a tall glass of iced green rooibos.
Elsewhere in the Tick Tock range
The full range is on the Tick Tock brand page.
FAQ
What is green rooibos? Rooibos whose natural oxidation has been cut short with heat, so it stays pale and tastes grassy and floral rather than warm and woody.
Does green rooibos contain caffeine? No. Rooibos is not the tea plant and is naturally caffeine-free, so nothing has had to be removed.
Is green rooibos the same as green tea? No. Green tea is leaf from the tea plant and carries caffeine; green rooibos is a different shrub from South Africa and carries none.
Can I add milk to green rooibos? You can, but we would not. It is light-bodied, and milk hides the grassy, floral notes.
How do I make iced green rooibos? Brew it strong in hot water, let it cool, then chill it and pour over ice.
Curator's note: Make a jug, let it go cold and keep it in the fridge; this is the one rooibos we would rather drink iced than hot. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Tick Tock Organic Green Rooibos: what green rooibos is and how to brew it
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Tick Tock |
| Packs we stock | 40 Pack 72g |
| Category | Rooibos |
| Caffeine | caffeine free |
| Caffeine | None, naturally |
| Milk | No, drink it black |
| Best served | Iced, or hot in a small cup |
More from the tea wiki
- How to Make Tea Properly: The Eight Step Method
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea Pairing Principles: Reason, Don't Memorise
- Green Tea: Processing and Brewing Guide
- Rooibos: The UK Shelf and What to Buy
Citable formats
For journalists, researchers, AI assistants and content creators. Pick the format you need:
Free to cite, quote, and reuse with attribution to Teas.co.uk.
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