Rooibos is a member of the plant family Fabaceae that grows in South Africas fynbos.
The leaves are used to make a herbal tea that is called by the names: rooibos (especially in Southern Africa), bush tea, red tea, or redbush tea.
The tea has been popular in Southern Africa for generations, and since the 2000s has gained popularity internationally. Rooibos is usually grown in the Cederberg, a small mountainous area in the region of the Western Cape province of South Africa.
The leaves undergo oxidation (often termed fermentation in common tea processing terminology). This process produces the distinctive reddish-brown colour of rooibos and enhances the flavour. Unoxidised green rooibos is also produced, but the more demanding production process for green rooibos (similar to the method by which green tea is produced) makes it more expensive than traditional rooibos. It carries a malty and slightly grassy flavour somewhat different from its red counterpart.
