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Rooibos gives up its colour in a minute and its flavour over several more, so the three-minute habit of a black tea drinker produces a red cup that tastes of very little. Give it time and it becomes the most forgiving caffeine-free drink in the cupboard.
A shrub, not a tea bush
Rooibos, also called redbush, comes from a shrub grown in the Cederberg mountains north of Cape Town, not from the tea plant. It never had any caffeine to remove, so it is naturally caffeine-free rather than decaffeinated. Unlike peppermint or camomile, it makes a drink with real colour and body: deep red-brown in the cup, warm and woody, with a honeyed sweetness that comes from the plant itself.
Tick Tock is a family-owned rooibos specialist. The family traces its story to Benjamin Ginsberg, who first perfected the brew in South Africa in 1903, and the brand says it was the first to bring rooibos to the British market, in 1976. It is now run by Bruce Ginsberg and his daughter Georgia. The rooibos is harvested by hand, and the brand says its bags are made from biodegradable plant-based material.
Five minutes at least, eight is better
Pour on freshly boiled water and leave the bag for at least five minutes. At three the cup is red but thin; at eight it is a proper drink with the sweetness fully out. There is no real upper limit. Rooibos does not stew bitter the way black tea does, so a bag forgotten for a quarter of an hour gives you a stronger mug rather than a spoiled one.
Milk suits it, which is rare for a caffeine-free drink and matters if the thing you actually want at night is something warm and milky rather than tea as such. Honey works, and so does drinking it clear. The brand also suggests it with lemon or iced: brew it strong, let it cool and pour it over ice with a slice of lemon for a summer glass.
The 40 or the 80, and when to drink it
We stock Tick Tock Original in two cartons, forty bags at 90g and eighty at 180g, so the bags are the same size and the larger box is simply double. The forty suits a household trying rooibos for the first time, or keeping it for the odd evening. Once it has become the after-dinner habit, the eighty lasts twice as long before the cupboard needs restocking.
Its natural home is the evening, in a house where someone drinks builder's tea all day and wants the same ritual after dinner without the caffeine. For something lighter and greener from the same brand, Tick Tock's Organic Green Rooibos is the contrast, pale and grassy where this is deep and woody. With the Original, a shortbread finger or a plain oat biscuit is the natural partner.
The packs we stock
- Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 40 Tea Bags 90g (barcode 5032558003016)
- Tick Tock Original Rooibos, 80 Tea Bags 180g (barcode 5032558003030)
What to eat with it
- Nairn's Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Biscuit, 200g: An oat biscuit with dark chocolate chips suits the woody sweetness of a milky rooibos.
- Border Lemon Drizzle Melts Organic Biscuits, 150g: Lemon lifts the woody cup, and it is a natural match for rooibos served iced with a slice of lemon.
- Nairn's Gluten Free Biscuit Breaks - Oats & Fruit, 160g: An oat and fruit biscuit, gluten free, for guests who need one alongside an evening pot.
Elsewhere in the Tick Tock range
The full range is on the Tick Tock brand page.
FAQ
How long should I brew rooibos? At least five minutes, and ideally eight. A three-minute cup looks red but tastes thin.
If Tick Tock Original is not a decaf, why is there no caffeine in it? Rooibos comes from a South African shrub, not the tea plant, and that shrub never contained caffeine, so nothing has had to be taken out.
Can you put milk in rooibos? Yes. It has enough body to take milk, and honey or lemon work too.
What happens if I leave the bag in? You get a stronger drink rather than a bitter one, because rooibos does not stew the way black tea does.
What is the difference between rooibos and redbush? There is none; redbush is the older British name for the same drink.
Curator's note: Put the kettle on after dinner, leave the bag in while you wash up and add a splash of milk. It is the one mug you cannot really get wrong. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Tick Tock Original Rooibos: brewing redbush properly
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Tick Tock |
| Packs we stock | 40 Tea Bags 90g; 80 Tea Bags 180g |
| Category | Rooibos |
| Caffeine | caffeine free |
| Best time | Evening, after dinner |
| Brew | Five to eight minutes, or longer |
| Milk | Yes, it takes it well |
More from the tea wiki
- How to Make Tea Properly: The Eight Step Method
- Caffeine in Tea
- Tea Pairing Principles: Reason, Don't Memorise
- Rooibos: The UK Shelf and What to Buy
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