Specialities

Rooibos

South Africa

The so-called redbush is only being cultivated in South Africa. The South Africans call their national drink Rooibos tea. Names such as redbush, rotbuschsie, redbos or Koopmans tea are also used sometimes. In Germany, phantasy names such as Massai or Bushman Tea are also used, even though the tea does not have any connection to these tribes (the massai, for example, live in Kenya and Tansania while the Rooibos grows in South Africa). This tea-like drink contains very small, needle-like red-brown leaves and has a very mild, pleasantly aromatic scent and taste. Rooibos is offered pure as well as with many different flavours.

Cultivation and Processing:

The Shrub

The Aspalathus linearis is a low-growing or straight shrub with long sprouts which are formed like fishing rods. The shrub grows to a height of about 1 - 1,5m. On the sprouts there are innumerable thin, leaved side-branches which makes the Rooibos look like a bush. The leaves remind of pine tree needles. They are prickly, but do not sting.

Nowadays, the shrub is no longer growing wildly, but is deliberately cultivated as wild growing, because the demand is too large for the amounts grown wildly.

Cultivation requirements

• a deep soil which drains the water quickly.
• a slightly acidic soil
• altitudes of up to 450 metres, but no frost.
• sufficient precipitation, mainly in the wintertime.

It has to be noted, that winter takes place in South Africa when it is summer in the Norther Hemisphere. The highpoint of the winterly rainperiod takes place in the months of June and July in Kapstadt. The Rooibos flower in October, hence, does not mark the beginning of the cold, but rather of the warm season.

Harvest

The harvest takes place from January to March when the growth of the bush has halted.

Approximately 30 – 40 cm above ground, the branches and sprouts are cut with a sickle or machine and bundled.

The production facilities are controlled by the South African Health Ministry.

Processing

The twigs are cut into 4-5 cm long pieces. The needles, the wood and the bork of the branches are used, which explains the strange optic of the Rooibos.

Now, the Rooibos is squeezed in rolling machines. The mechanical destruction of the plant cells is a precondition for its fermentation. Subsequently, they are wet with clear water and piled on 15-20 cm high heaps.

Due to this humidification the fermentation starts in the sunshine.

The naturally green twigs become a red-brown colour. During the fermentation, the Rooibos also receives its fruity aroma.

The tea is dried in the sun until it has reached a final humidity content of about 10%.

As a final step, the Rooibos is sieved with special sieves and thereby separated from too large pieces as well as dirt. Finally, the tea is treated with hot air in order to make it more durable and prevent it from varmint infestation.

Contents

Rooibos tea is special because it does not contain any caffeine and only little tannins, which inhibit the uptake of iron when they are consumed in higher amounts.

0,07 mg          Iron          1,67 mg          Magnesia

0,22 mg          Fluor         0,04 mg         Mangan

7,12 mg          Calium       6,16 mg         Sodium

1,09 mg           Calcium     0,04 mg         Zinc

0,07 mg           Copper      99 ethereal oils

Effect

It is said that Rooibos, amongst others, is favourable for blood formation and reduces the threat of caries as well as free-radicals.

Green Rooibos

With green Rooibos, the fermentation is tried to be avoided. For this reason, the plant has to be treated with a lot of care starting with the harvest. The plants may not be squeezed, or layered on top of each other, they may not be wet and have to be turned and moved constantly. If this is not done properly, the undesired red colour appears.

Honeybush The Honeybusch, just like the Rooibos, was discovered in the 18th century in South Africa. The honeybush shrub has got yellow, gleaming blossoms which smell like honey. Due to this, it has received its name. The indigenous also call the honeybush "vegetable bush" because it has bean-like fruits and knot-like roots.

The wild-growing honeybush grows exclusively on small mountain ranges in the so-called Langkloof district. The shrub grows to a height of about 1.5 metres and grows especially well on wet soil.

In the early 90s, Dr. Hannes De Lange of the National Botanical Institute Kirstenbosh in Capetown re-discovered the Honeybusch. He cultivated the tea and marketed. Today, honeybush is cultivated on 35 different sites commercially so that the wild-growing bushes are spared.

Herb and Spice Tea Blends

Herb and spice tea blends have grown in popularity over the last couple of years. Some compositions are not only very tasty, but are also drunken for their beneficial characteristics. Very up and coming are the creations of our wellness-, ayurveda- and chai tea varieties. These offer delicious tea experiences for many circumstances. A small selection of this assortment with an explanation of the characteristics are described below:

Herb Tea Blends

Kiwano -> a very colourful blend from nature. The new and exciting taste of the kiwano fruit adds a lot of freshness to the herb garden. ,

Ingredients: apple pieces, pineapple and papaya pieces, orange and rose hip peels, melissa, fennel, lemongrass, flavouring.

Bad Weather Tea -> a select herb tea blend from dried raspberry leaves, rose hip peel, apple pieces, fennel, aniseed, ribwort, strawberry-, peppermint and blackberry leaves, sunflower blossoms melissa, elderberry blossoms, mullein and peony blossoms, flavouring. The Aniseed and fennel give this creation a mild, slightly sweet note.

Wellness

Sencha Sea Weed Wakame -> Sea weed is demanded more and more, following the wellness trend. The Wakame sea weed typically contains huge amounts of the vital trace mineral iodine. However, an overdose of iodine is hardly possible when drinking Sencha Sea Weed Wakame in normal amounts.
Ingredients: green tea, green mate tea, sea weed pieces, lemongrass, natural lemon flavouring.

Fruit Tea Blend Apple-Ginger-Melange -> The typical turkish apple tea was combined with the always popular ginger spice to an exciting blend with a juicy-spicy taste experience.
Ingredients: apple pieces, ginger pieces, rose hip peel, flavouring.

Ayurveda

Ayurveda means „The knowledge of Life“ and forms the basis of the traditional, all-comprising natural medicine of India which has been used for 5,000 years. Ayurveda comprises the knowledge of the completeness of the human being which means that the health of body, mind and soul is understood as one and not separable. The maintenance of this balance can be achieved by following the ayurvedic style of life.

Ayurveda differentiates between the five elements of all life forms: earth, water, fire, air and space. These elements affect the human being in his physical and psychological constitution. These elements are summarised in the energetic levels of the three Doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

VATA PITTA KAPHA

Space & Air Fire & Water Water & Earth

Dosha the Dosha the Dosha the

Movement & Activity Metabolism & Temperature Regulation Quietness, Strength & Resistance

Following the ayurvedic teachings, the respective dominance and level of each dosha characterise each human being. When the doshas are in balance, the person feels happy and healthy.

To support this balance, the nutrition takes up an important role amongst other factors of the ayurvedic teachings. Depending on the individual diagnosis and allocation of the doshas, the right nutrition can have a favourable and balancing effect.

Product characteristics:

Die ayurvedischen Tees verzichten grundsätzlich auf den Einsatz von orthodoxen Tees und sind damit coffeinfrei. Da die Bestandteile wie Pfeffer etc. dem Aufguss eine natürliche Stärke und Schärfe geben, empfehlen wir, den Aufguss mit warmer Milch oder im abgekühlten Zustand mit Fruchtsäften zu mischen. Diese Mischungen sind dann speziell für Kinder und Senioren zu empfehlen. Ansonsten probieren Sie die Mischungen pur, gesüßt und in heißem als auch kaltem Zustand.

Ayurvedic Tea Fasting Tea-> During the times of fasting, this tea is a harmonic, well-balanced blend based on Indian recipes and acts supporting. The intesive, spicy-flowery scent and taste lets all ingredients unfold themselves fully.

Tea-like infusion: Ingredients: green mate leaves, lemongrass, rose hip peel, ginger pieces, Roman chamomile, kardamom, black pepper, basil.

Ayurvedic Tea Women's Activity Tea -> Following an old Indian tradition – suitable for every day. Fine, aromatic aniseed and fennel as well as sweet, fruity juniper in your nose and on your tongue refresh and invigorate at the same time.

Tea-like infusion: Ingredients: orange peel, cinnamon pieces, fennel, liquorice, cardamom, ginger pieces, angelica and dandelion roots, cloves, juniper berries.

Preparation:

We suggest a level tea spoon per variety, brewed with boiling water for 5-7 minutes.

Chai Tea

Chai tea used to be only known among the Indians where it is a national drink, but its popularity is rising in the Western world as well. Classical components of the Chai tea are black tea and the famous Indian spices such as cloves, fennel, aniseed, caramom, pepper and ginger. This composition comes originally from the ayurvedic health teachings and is not only added for taste benefits, but also for its favourable effects on body and mind. This black tea - spice blend is made perfect by adding milk and honey or sugar.

Our Chai tea is a symbiosis of the Indian and European culture. Classically Indian is the black tea chai. Rooibos and green teas which are popular in Europe receive a special note thanks to the added spices. We suggest you add milk (? tea with ? milk) which ever tea you chose.

Black Tea Spicy Chai -> black tea, anisseed, cinnamon pieces, ginger pieces, black pepper, cloves, chicoree roots, flavouring.

Rooibos Red Chai -> Rooibos tea, aniseed, ginger pieces, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon pieces, cloves and flavouring.

South America

Brasilian Green Mate

The national drink of South America, which is yielded from a type of holly. The small, light green, cut leaves taste and smell slightly smoky. This tea is said to have health maintaining qualities.

Lapacho

Comes from the outer bork of the Tecoma tree which has its home in the Andes. Its slightly wooden character does not suit anyones taste, but it is also said to have many favourable characteristics.

Catuaba

Like the Lapacho, only the quick-growing bork of the catuaba tree which grows in the tropical rainforests of South America is used. In Brasil, this infusion is said to have an invigorating and strengthening effect and counts as one of the most popular tea varieties.
Preparation: 1 table spoon per 1l water, bring to boil, let sit for approximately 5 minutes. The infusion has a typical, herb aroma and becomes slightly bitter when infused longer.

Catuaba Vanilla Cream -> Our "gourmet" is also offered with a hint of delicate vanilla-cream character as an alternative to the natural catuaba.