EAT&DR|NK azz infusion
Britain is in the throes of a revolution, and without
The rooibos tasting team (from left to right) Barry. Laurent, Claire and Natalia flex their taste buds
doubt it’s red. Natalia Palombo and a group of experts chuck away their builders’ tea and explore the hot beverage phenomenon that is rooibos.
i\e years ago. it you'd
wandered tl()\\ll the tea aisle
ol any supermarket. you'd haye been laced with l‘earsome walls ol l’(i 'l‘ips. Speciality teas were litttited to a couple ol' shel\e\ ol- lruit teas tor those w ho wanted to sleep better. liyen getting yottr hands on a box ol' liarl (irey was hit or miss. 'l‘oday. Sll‘i ol' 'I’lu' l./'\I's editorial teatrt no longer drinks builders. tea. pt‘elcrring to slip on rooibos tor r'etlbttsh. as it is also knownl. So are we trendsetters or tnerely going ottt on a limb'.’ Well. our change in habits has begun to be rcllected in supermarkets. those |’(i 'l'ips ramparts beitig increasingly joined by rooibos and green tea blends. .'\l'ter years ol being in thrall to Indian black tea. Britain appears to be l‘alling in loye with a cal'l‘eine— lree brew that‘s usually drttnk without milk.
Rooibos is by no means a new tea. It has been produced in South Africa l'or many generations. though apartheid meant it has only recently been possible l'ot' South .»\l'rican lat‘mers to export their
product. It comes hour the leaves of
a diminutiye shrub called aspalathus linearis. and is haryested in the ('edarburg rnountatins ol' the Western ('ape. reputedly the only place with the type ol soil required tor the bush to grow there naturally. :\s a result rooibos cannot be cultiyated on a commercial basis anywhere else. not eyen in other
parts ol South :\lrica.
l)espitc the small area in which rooibos can be grown. rooibos larmers are tnaking the most ol~ their unique product. shipping increasing \olumes to the LR. America and Japan in particular. .-\inng the most popular brands are those imported by Dragonfly. the original producer ol t'ooihos. 'l‘here are also some excellent liait‘ trade organic brands. and others ayailable online. We brought together two rooibos importers and an expert
l-ood taster to try ottt the \ariety ol
products on ol‘l‘er in Scotland.
THE TASTING TEAM Claire Merrick is l'ounder ol- (ilasgow based supplier The Tea Spot (w w w.theteaspot.co.uk ). a company that she started tip in January ol' this year alter an inspiring stay in (‘anada The business sells to \arieties ol‘ tea. primarily loose llayoured tea. oli whiclt the are rooibos. Merrick will introduce a new strawberry — llay'oured rooibos later in the summer.
Laurent Vernet is a professional l'ood taster. and expert in (‘hina tea. 'l‘rained at Bristol l'niy'ersity. he now' works as a taster of lamb and heel for Quality Meat Scotland. ln his spare time. Laurent continues to deyelop his expertise in ('hina tea. Barry Murdoch‘s backgrottnd is in the lair trade business. He is a partner in liqual lixchange. a l.eith- based workers cooperatiye which
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began working with larmers in small tea gardens in India. The company aims to reiny est as much tnoney ill the producers its possil‘le. Natalia Palombo is a straightl'orward tea tan. .-\s the ‘palate ol' the people‘. it's heriob to ensure the expert tasters aren‘t simply indulging their m'erdey'eloped sense ol' taste on a product that tastes like horse pee.
THE PRODUCTS
The Tea Spot Original Organic Rooibos
.S'ott/‘t't'r/ from u Merit/mu «our/wiry in Germany; this is Illt’ bus/t It'tl
flout I/lt'l(‘(l\/)()I.t'U.l(/\. (n'ttr/u/ilt' I'll
Irmxt' lea/jinn].
Laurent 'l'hls titstes clean. ltis slightly sweet. \\ ith a touch ol' liquorice. linished with a pleasant sourness.
Barry You could drink it easily without it ox'et‘powet‘ittg the palate. It‘s not too strong on tannins. Natalia l really like this one. ll tastes yery' l‘resh and pleasant.
Tick Tock
New on I/It’ mar/wt from “menu/h. I/iis lmuu/ ix Irvine li/tu/ up m (I sir/it'r'niu/‘kt'l but w/lm:
B ’l‘his has a tnuch srnokier stnell. more woody.
C It tastes quite sweet? Surprisingly dil'l'erent hour the lirst one.
L It‘s a rather weak tea in comparison to the l'ormer one. Its personality is. to pttt it kindly. elusiye. lt‘s surprising. because it smelled so good.
B It gaye a lot ol' nose . ..
L . . . btrt there's no al’tertaste.
Eleven O'Clock
.lnol/it'r' .\ll/)t‘I'I)I(lI'/\t'l ttti'om'rlt' from Dragonfly; I/Its ix t'in'rt'nI/i [/l(' I K mar/w! lt'ut/t'r in mot/rm I(’(l\.
L This one has a bit more l'layour. more tannin.
B Yes. but there‘s an acidic leel that goes along with that.
L It dries your throat.
B It has a cloudier colour. like a black tea. 'l'here's more llayour than
the tick lock.
Equal Exchange Wild Rooibos There 's some t'tt‘rlt'nu'ut m Illt’ lax/rue /('(IHI about this [mu/mt. It 's