TeaFrog - Quality Loose Leaf Tea » Rooibos Tea

Rooibos Tea Braised Beef with Sweet Potatoes – New Recipe

teafrog — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:22:06 +0000

OK, so some would argue semantics and tell me that Rooibos is not a “tea”, and they are correct, because Rooibos is not of the “Camellia Sinensis” family, it is properly considered a Tisane, or Herbal Infusion. However, for our purposes, we refer to it as a tea, because that is how our customers also refer to it.

With that out of the way, we have just posted a brand new recipe that uses a Rooibos infusion for stewing beef that has been braised in oil and flour. It is a fantastic tasting stew that includes cinnamon and ginger flavours, and is paired with sweet potatoes (want to really go wild? Try using one of our Flavoured Rooibos Teas instead of Rooibos Original!).

You can see this brand new recipe in the “tea culture” section of our website, under “Recipes” (or just click right through to it from here: Rooibos Tea Braised Beef with Sweet Potatoes).

Be sure to check out other recipes in our culture section, as well as a bevy of other useful tea related information!

Happy Steeping!

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Loose Leaf Tea Starter Sets

teafrog — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 16:16:39 +0000

Beginning your journey into loose leaf tea can be daunting if you do not have the right tools and advice.

Loose leaf tea is continuing to grow in popularity all across North America. As a result, more people are searching for a way to get introduced to loose leaf tea, but become discouraged by the choice is out there. It can be daunting when you are faced with a selection of 10 different type of green tea, or a selection of estate black teas, but just don’t know where to make the plunge!

With that in mind, TeaFrog has introduced a starter set for new loose leaf tea drinkers. This starter set includes everything you need to start brewing good loose leaf tea, except the kettle and water! You get a BrewT™ Infuser, and a selection of good teas. You can choose from Green, Black, Rooibos or Tisane/Herbal sets. In each set you get a variety of 3 teas, each one specifically chosen to give you a variety of choices and flavours in that category.

Eliminate the fumbling to open a tea ball, not to mention the nightmare getting the loose leaf tea out of the mesh! The BrewT™ Infuser keeps the leaves where they belong, out of your cup. It is easy to clean, BPA free, and functions both as the infuser and the teapot in one.

There really is no easier way, or cost effective way to get introduced to loose leaf teas. Most stores force you to purchase large quantities of a tea, before you even taste it! This way, you get a small quantity of several teas, allowing you to determine, without a big investment, which ones you prefer.

This is also a great gift for a friend or relative that you want to introduce to loose leaf tea. They will appreciate the quality of the tea and the BrewT™ infuser, and it does not cost you an arm and a leg! Visit the TeaFrog store today, and see how easy it is to start drinking loose leaf tea!

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Rooibos Tea – Different Types

teafrog — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:36:17 +0000

As we have previously learned, Rooibos is not technically a proper tea, because it is not derived from the Camellia sinensis plant. Rooibos however, is not usually referred to as a Tisane. The Rooibos leaf comes from the plant , a member of the legume family of plants. The Rooibos bush is a small and shrubby bush, with thin needle-like leaves. The bush only grows between 1/2 to 1 meter tall. On the bush, the leaves are green, but once processed they turn a deep red from the oxidization of the Rooibos leaves.

Rooibos is available in the market in several forms. Typically, you will get the red leaved Rooibos either in it’s plain, unflavored form, or in a flavored

or blended form. Rooibos is now becoming more widely available in its “

green” form as well – as Green Rooibos. Even more recently you are seeing Green Rooibos being flavored and blended like the typical Red Rooibos you find. The difference between the two is that the Green Rooibos is the un-oxidized form of the Rooibos bush.

As we have previously mentioned, the Rooibos bush has many different health benefits. It is naturally decaffeinated, with no caffeine in it at all. Rooibos tea is very low in tannins, so you will never get a bitter cup of Rooibos tea. Rooibos is very high in antioxidants, which have health benefits ranging from anti-aging to cancer prevention. Rooibos has been known to relieve stomach ulcers, nausea, constipation, and heartburn. Rooibos has high concentrations of calcium, manganese and fluoride. In addition to being internally used, Rooibos has been used externally to promote healthy skin, and has been shown to relieve itchy skin, eczema, sunburns, diaper rash and acne.

For thousands of years, Rooibos has been a herbal remedy for the tribes of South Africa. It is only in the last 100 years or so that Rooibos has been available worldwide, and only in the last 5-6 years that it has really become popular and available in North America in sufficient quantities.

Today, Rooibos is blended and flavored in many many different ways! TeaFrog currently carries 6 different Rooibos blends, from Caramel Cream to Love Flavored, to Tiramisu. We also carry Rooibos Original, the unflavored natural Rooibos leaves. The typical flavor of Rooibos is a sweet, slightly nutty flavor, which needs no addition of milk or sugar, albeit that is traditionally how it is consumed in South Africa. When combined with different flowers, herbs and flavors, Rooibos still retains its core sweetness, making an amazing tea that is both tasty and healthy – a combination that is not always easy to find!

As Rooibos becomes more and more popular in North America, you will continue to see studies released on the health benefits, scientifically proving what South African Tribes have known for hundreds of years, that Rooibos Tea is healthy, has a great flavor, and is a great alternative beverage for both adults and children alike! So try Rooibos today from the TeaFrog online store, you will not be disappointed!

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TeaFrog explores Rooibos Teas and their growing popularity in North America

teafrog — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:50:16 +0000

Rooibos (Afrikaans for “Red Bush”), pronounced “roy-boss”, has been steadily growing in consumption world wide. Generations of people in Africa have been enjoying this sweet nutty drink for hundreds of years, and only now is it starting to gain mainstream acceptance in North America.

A large contributing factor to the Rooibos boom currently growing on our fine continent, is the society-wide turn towards healthy alternatives. TeaFrog is currently seeing a noticeable switch from heavily caffeinated beverages like coffee and carbonated drinks, to healthier choices such as tea and tea alternatives. Rooibos fits the bill perfectly, as it is caffeine free, and still retains the health benefits of a traditional tea.

“True” tea is derived from steeping the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Purists decry any other claim to the word tea, for beverages that are not made up only of this plant. While technically this may be true, in the real world, all sorts of infusions have been known as tea for hundreds and hundreds of years. For example, Chamomile Tea, Earl Grey Tea (not technically a tea due to the addition of Bergamot), Herbal Teas, Fruit Teas, etc. Going by a strict tea connoisseurs’ definition, these are all referred to as Tisanes, as would any Rooibos blend or infusion, but for the general public, this gets confusing. TeaFrog always refers to Rooibos as a “tea”.

This tea has many health benefits other than being naturally decaffeinated. There are many claims as to what the health benefits of Rooibos actually are. We know from scientific studies completed and ongoing, that it has high levels of antioxidants, as does tea, which promotes the reduction of free radical levels in our bodies, assisting to actually delay the aging process. It has also been claimed to be effective in relieving stomach ulcers, nausea, heartburn, sunburns (topically applied), increases iron absorption, increases metabolic functions and much much more. All these claims should be taken with a grain of salt, as studies have still to definitively prove these, but keep in mind that for thousands of years the health benefits of tea were renowned, and just now study after study is proving these claims on tea to be true.

Putting aside all the health benefits of Rooibos, let’s hit the flavor. Slightly sweet, slightly nutty, the “legume” classification of this leaf shows through. Traditionally consumed with sugar and milk, North Americans will generally find that even by itself it needs no additives at all, creating a very satisfying cup of tea. One of the benefits of Rooibos for tea blending however, is how it takes flavoring – that being, very well. There are literally hundreds of blends and flavors of Rooibos, such as TeaFrog’s most popular “Love” flavored, or Gingerbread Orange, or our brand new Kalahari flavored Rooibos. The bottom line on flavor is, for as many tastes as there are out there, there is a blend or flavor for you.

Did I mention that you will not get a “bitter” cup of Rooibos tea? As if it was perfectly designed for busy people, if you infuse it for too long, you will just get a stronger cup of tea, not a bitter cup of tea as you do with black or green tea. This is because of the very low level of tannins in the leaves. A major plus for those busy people that forget about their tea as it’s steeping!

As the market matures for Rooibos, TeaFrog will be carrying more variety, including the upcoming Green Rooibos leaves, with more antioxidant content due to the fact that they are not fully oxidized and processed. We are very proud to be on the forefront of this North American Rooibos revolution, and I hope that you have found this informative, and that you will try one or more of the TeaFrog Rooibos blends!

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