OUHUIS Rooibos Tea

OUHUIS? MARK OF QUALITY ROOIBOS TEA

NO WONDER ROOIBOS TEA IS AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS The Miracle Brew

Rooibos alleviates diaper rash when applied topically with each diaper change.

The minerals in Rooibos supplement the daily intake of fluoride and calcium and help to develop strong teeth and bones.

The anti-spasmodic compounds relieve stomach cramps and colic.

Rooibos has an amazingly soothing effect on colic babies and allergic tots.

In South Africa Rooibos has been used for generations as a supplement to breastfeeding.

Rooibos is also safe and nutritious for babies and children.

Provincial studies suggest that:

Rooibos has tremendous health indications for adults.

Rooibos tea is a unique health drink, famous for its therapeutic benefits and nutritional content.   It is also caffeine free and rich in anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamin C.  Rooibos is highly recommended for certain cases of nervous tension, allergies, digestive problems, heart diseases and colic in babies.  It contains no harmful alkaloids.  OUHUIS?  Rooibos makes an excellent iced tea, brewed, chilled and served with a difference of fruit juices.

HEALTH AND BENEFITS OF ROOIBOS TEA

Feel free to visit the historic home of OUHUIS?  Rooibos tea and see the whole process for yourself.

The new growth is cut with sickles and tied into bundles which are then taken to the cut-up-and-dry plant where it is cut into different lengths, are oxidized (often inaccurately referred to as fermented) and then spread open on the drying court to be sun-dried, this is also why rooibos tea is caffeine free.

The Rooibos shrubs are topped from April to September in their first year to stimulate growth and allow the plants to spread, thus the first crop of Rooibos tea sees the light.  Thereafter the new growth is harvested every year between January and May, just before the rainy season. 

The seeds are sown in seedbeds during March.  The seedlings are planted out in the fields during the months of July and August as the seedlings are very dependant on the winter rains for growth. 

Rooibos is only grown in a small area in the Cederberg region of the Western Cape Province.  

PRODUCTION OF ROOIBOS TEA

The popularity of Rooibos has also gained from its association with Precious Ramotswe, the Tswana detective in Alexander McCall Smiths series of novels about The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Mma Ramotswes favorite drink is Red Bush Tea (Rooibos), which she often promotes as a therapeutic drink to her friends and clients and hence the readers of the books. 

Rooibos has increased in popularity in South Africa and since about 2002, has gained considerable momentum in the world wide market.  There are now (as of early 2007) a growing number of brand-name tea companies which sell it either straight-up or as a component in an ever-growing variety of blends.

Fortunately for Ginsberg, who employed locals to collector the seeds, one woman had found a rather unusual source of supply.  While other collectors only brought in matchbox-sized quantities, she continually delivered large bags and was eventually persuaded to share her secret.  While searching for the minute seeds one day, she had chanced upon ants dragging them to their nest.  She followed their trail back to their nest and, on breaking it open, found a granary. 

In the 1930s, Ginsberg convince a local doctor to experiment with the cultivation of the plant.  The attempts were successful, which led Ginsberg to encourage local farmers to cultivate the plant in the hope that it would become a profitable venture.  The first attempts at large volume cultivation were a disaster due to the small size of the seeds (they are no larger than a grain as sand), which made them difficult to find and gather.  This resulted in the price of the seeds soaring to an astounding 80Pounds a pound, which was far too expensive for local farmers.

In 1903, Benjamin Ginsberg (a Russian settler to the Cape and descendant of a famous family) realized the potential of Rooibos and began trading with the local Khoisan people who were harvesting it.  He sold his Mountain Tea to settlers in the Cape and shortly became the first exporter of Rooibos using contacts from the family tea business. 

Although Rooibos was first reported in 1772 by botanist Carl Thunberg, the Khoisan people of the area had been using it for generations and were aware of its medicinal value.  The Dutch settlers to the Cape adopted rooibos as an alternative to black tea, an expensive commodity for the settlers who relied on supply ships from Europe.  Until the 19^th century, however, Dutch usage of the tea was minimal.

Rooibos, ([PA: roibos], Afrikaans for red bush scientific name Aspalathus Linearis) is a member of the legume family of plants and is used to make a tisane (herbal tea).  Commonly called South African red tea, the product has been popular in South Africa for generations and is now enjoyed in many countries.

OUHUIS?  Rooibos Tea is made of the indigenous plant , found only in the Western Cape region of the Republic of South Africa.

THE STORY OF ROOIBOS TEA

Visit the historical home of OUHUIS?  Rooibos Tea, experience the ambiance and witness the cultivation and processing of rooibos.

Built in 1885, the OUHUIS?  (Old House) was the first house on the farm Zeekoevlei in the Cederberg (Clanwilliam) district of the Western Cape.  Paul & Anneli Smit with their children, Paul (Jr), Johan and Douw, started farming on Zeekoevlei on 20 December 2005.

This well-known OUHUIS?   brand has been under new ownership and management since 2005.  The Super Export residue free Rooibos Tea is available to local South African tea packing companies and trade buyers of bulk or packed tea.

OUHUIS? Rooibos tea is cultivated and processes on Protea Kop Rooibos Tea Farm between Clanwilliam and Lamberts Bay in the Western Cape, Republic of South Africa.

The Protea Kop Rooibos Tea Farm is situated in the western Rooibos Tea production area, 20 km from Clanwilliam in the East and 60km from Lamberts Bay in the West.

Protea Kop Rooibos Tea Farm

THE STORY OF OUHUIS?

OUHUIS Rooibos tea, a unique health beverage, containing beneficial minerals; it has a high vitC content, no caffeine no tannin.