OnTap Magazine

THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ROOIBOS 01 05 03 07 09 02 06 04 08 10 National Rooibos Day falls on January 16 to tie in with the start of the annual harvest. Rooibos has long been lauded for its health benefits. Among other things, it is full of antioxidants, can help fight heart disease and anxiety, has been known to aid with allergies and has been linked with combatting type two diabetes. Total rooibos sales in 2019 were equal to just more than six billion cups of tea – that’s close to one cup for every human on the planet! A number of South African microbreweries produce beers featuring rooibos, including the Governor’s Red Lager from Stellenbrau and Smack Republic’s Hillbrow Honey. Even if you don't like drinking rooibos, you can still benefit from its health-giving properties: try washing your face with cooled tea, or rinsing dark hair with it. Just make sure no-one has added sugar, honey or milk first! Rooibos provides income and employment to approximately 8 000 farm labourers in South Africa, with further jobs created in upstream activities such as processing and packaging. In 2021, the European Commission approved Rooibos/Red Bush in its register of protected designations of origin, placing it alongside illustrious products like champagne and Irish whiskey. Simon Le Bon, lead singer of top 80s band Duran Duran, reportedly won’t go on stage without drinking a cup of rooibos first. There is a museum dedicated to rooibos, but it’s not in South Africa. The Dr Nortier Rooibos Museum is just outside Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and honours a South African doctor who completed early research into rooibos. Rooibos actually starts out as a green bush. Its vibrant amber colour develops during the post-harvest oxidation process, brought about by natural enzymes in the plant. ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2021 | 29