Basics
Green vs Red Rooibos: What Oxidation Changes
Green and red rooibos come from the same bush. One step, oxidation, sets them apart, and it changes the colour, the taste, and how much of the antioxidant aspalathin survives. Here is the difference, plainly.
The Night Shift Behind Your Calm Cup
The bedtime cup is effortless, but getting it there is a precisely timed operation. Here is what actually happens to the red bush between the field and the packet, including the overnight fermentation window that decides whether a batch tastes right.
Superior, Choice, Standard: How a Rooibos Grade Is Judged, and Why a Finer Cut Tastes Stronger
Every batch of rooibos is graded on cut, colour, and aroma before it becomes a teabag, a loose-leaf tin, or an extract. Here is what Superior, Choice, and Standard grade actually describe, and why a finer cut tastes stronger while a coarser one tastes sweeter.
Rooibos Is Caffeine-Free. It Was Never Decaffeinated.
Rooibos has never contained a milligram of caffeine, and that is a different claim from "decaffeinated." Here is the botany behind the difference, and what decaffeination actually leaves behind in the tea and coffee that need it.