Green Rooibos tea should never be confused
with green tea as the products and origin are completely different.
Green tea refers to the unfermented leaves of the Camellia
sinensis tea bush. Green tea contains practically the same
substances as black tea, including caffeine, theophylline and
theobromine, in addition to many tannic acids. Green tea, being
unfermented, contains 15 - 25% polyphenol tannins, which are
virtually eliminated in black tea due to fermentation.
Green Rooibos tea refers to the unfermented leaves of the Aspalathus
linearis tea bush. Unfermented tea means that the tea leaves
are not processed. In other words the tea is not crushed or
milled and also not allowed to dry in the sun. The unprocessed
green Rooibos tea exhibits a higher protective affect against
mutagenesis than the processed Rooibos tea. Green Rooibos tea
has a higher total polyphenol content and analytical results
show that the concentration of aspalathin and nothofagin are
up to 20 times higher.
Green Rooibos tea as a product is new and novel in South Africa.
There is a growing popularity for green Rooibos tea in Europe
and a variety of South African products are expected to be launched
in the near future. |
