This week I’m going to touch briefly on tea. And don’t worry. I would never consider myself an authority on what must be one of the most popular drinks in the South – Sweet tea. Heck, it’s nearly as popular as beer back in Zimbabwe!!

All tea comes from the Camellia Sinensis plant. Climate, harvesting methods & drying methods will influence the type of tea produced. Tea is grouped into 3 categories; White, Green & Black tea.

A White tea is basically the top two leaves plus bud picked from the top of the tea bush &, without any withering or processing, it is packed & ready to brew. White teas are often subtle in taste.

Green teas follow the same picking process as white teas. However, they are allowed to partially wither giving these group of teas stronger, earthy tastes & aromas.

After picking, Black teas are left to fully wilt & are processed to give the strongest, most distinct taste.

A fourth source of tea is from herbal bushes. Our best example of that is Rooibos - which is Afrikaans (the language of the Afrikaner in South Africa) for Red bush. Not being South African, I hereby apologize to all from that country if I’ve left something out of the translation.

Rooibos (sounded Roy-boss) is a herbal bush growing wild in the Kalahari & Western Cape Regions of South Africa. It is processed in a similar fashion to tea. It has a high mineral content, low in tannins, rich in minerals & relaxes the nerves. Right now I need about 10 gallons of the stuff for my nerves!!

Come down to the Safari Cup & try out our large range of teas.