Red tea: A new color for your cup

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Oct 26th 2007 10:30AM

Categories: Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products, Nutrition & Supplements

I have several different kinds of tea in my cupboard right now -- green, white, black, combinations of the three mixed with different flavors, peppermint, chamomile, etc. But red tea? That's a new one for me.

Red tea comes from the Rooibos bush, grown only in South Africa. While it may not be as well known as the more popular teas, its gaining recognition for its health benefits. Unlike those other teas, the findings associated with red tea have not yet been substantiated. But it's believed that red tea is rich in many of the same antioxidants and flavanoids as other teas, and may ease certain conditions like colic, arthritis, allergies, stress, and even herpes.

Red tea also has a sweeter taste, so if you love sugar in your tea, red may help you cut back on that habit. Have you tried red tea? What did you think?

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Comments (54)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Lee 10-26-2007 @ 10:50AM

I love rooibos...it's sweet and always makes me sleep better...yummy!

Andi 10-26-2007 @ 11:24AM

i love that red tea.. i have been drinking it for about nine months or so . I just drink it now and then but i always find it very good .

tanya 10-26-2007 @ 11:38AM

I must say I love it too! For some reason now I can no longer go back to regular Black tea.

Gary 10-27-2007 @ 2:40AM

I love the stuff. It has a slight sweet tobacco flavor. My favorite is the Cranberry Mint Rooibos from Tattlers' Teas. I get it every year at the Del Mar Fair (a local San Diego thing), but if you Google it you can get it online. Adagio has good Rooibos too, but it's a much muskier flavor, more towards those who like black teas probably.

Jamie 10-28-2007 @ 2:42AM

i love wild chery red bud from www.teacuppa.com/herbal-tea.asp

Kelly 10-28-2007 @ 7:18AM

I've been drinking rooibos chai, available from Teavana, since last March. I love it because it is slightly sweet and very soothing. The selection of red tea at Teavana is wide.

bird 10-28-2007 @ 7:19AM

love tea but never had red tea,have 2 try it

flynn525 10-28-2007 @ 7:27AM

I just discovered Rooibos tea on a recent trip to South Africa. I love it. I brought a box home, intending to make little ribbon wrapped packets as giftd for friends, but I may end up keeping for myself!

Carrie 10-28-2007 @ 8:11AM

My partner has been drinking red rooibos tea for about a year or so. He loves it...I hate it. I am a big tea drinker, and I must say this is the first tea I truly hate. I can't get past the smell of it, much less the taste. Of course, I have not tried the flavored kinds....maybe I would like them. I wish I liked it because of the purported health benefits. I drink coffee sweetened, but do not sweeten my tea.

elliemae 10-28-2007 @ 9:11AM

Love the stuff, don't know if it helps my arthritis though. Haven't noticed anything in that area.

Jaime 10-28-2007 @ 9:01AM

I love red tea from Snapple! It's cold, and easy, and cheap!

H. Lynn 10-28-2007 @ 9:04AM

I visited this lovely pink painted tea shoppe (Tea Time Cottage) while traveling around town (Hamptons, N.Y) and had an Iced Orange Rooibos. I am a coffee drinker so I really never heard of anything other than Lipton or Earl Grey. This tea is the most delicious kind of tea. Ever since, I have stocked my pantry with the following Rooibos: Green (Key Largo), Mate "Tiramisu", Countryside, Orange and Fruit Blend " Autumn Harvest". Best tasting, Healthful drink !!!! I am now a regular at the cottage and Rooibos has replaced coffee for my whole family !!!!

Moe 10-28-2007 @ 9:09AM

I would love to try this..is it in grocerys stores?

Teadrinker 10-28-2007 @ 9:10AM

South Africans have been drinking rooibos for centuries. I stock up on the real stuff when I go back home to SA...and its a fraction of the *gourmet* prices they charge here. BTW its not redtea its rooibos, translates to *redbush*

Barb 10-28-2007 @ 9:19AM

I use a low caffene tea. What amount of caffene does the red teas have?

teadrinker 10-28-2007 @ 9:46AM

Its rooibos not redtea. Rooibos translates to redbush. Drink it pure and forget all those *gourmet* additions. In South Africa Rooibos is not gourmet but a staple.

jodey 10-31-2007 @ 10:55AM

I have arthritis and would like to try this red tea. I have a hard time with herbal tea. I tends to give me migranes. I can drink green tea and black tea. Is red tea a herbal tea or is herbal flavors added?

Linda 10-28-2007 @ 10:23AM

I drink many types of teas encluding red tea. However, the best I like about tea components is the antioxident factor. I'd like to know which tea is best for the aforementioned? Let's hope the antioxident factor is not debuncked in the future by a study, you never know!

Kat Nelson 10-28-2007 @ 10:22AM

Thanks to all of you who have provided information and the websites where one can buy this tea. I love finding intelligent articles like this with intelligent comments as opposed to most of the garbage on the internet where people post such mean comments. Thanks everyone for being so excellent and cool. I love this tea and have found it at local grocery and health food stores as well.