Rooibos: We’ll drink to that

It may not have the pomp and circumstance of an Earl Grey, the smoky draw of a lapsang souchong, or the relaxing serenity of a chamomile, but naturally caffeine-free rooibos, sometimes known as redbush or red tea, has a certain charm worth lifting your pinky for. Grown only in the Cederberg Mountain region of South Africa’s Western Cape, it has a [robust, woodsy flavor with vanilla-like notes]( with a rounder, fuller body than a typical black tea. Rooibos (Afrikaans for “red bush”) has become a fixture on café menus in Europe and the US in recent years, but it has long been sipped in South Africa, first by the Khoisan peoples—once [the largest human group]( on the planet—and then by Dutch, British, and Russian colonists who turned indigenous knowledge of the plant into a thriving industry. While the legacy of colonization and apartheid has left rooibos production almost entirely in the hands of white growers and processors, [South Africa has taken potentially ground-breaking steps]( to compensate Khoisan communities. Let’s spill the tea (or tisane). 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( [Quartz Daily Obsession] Rooibos February 11, 2020 It may not have the pomp and circumstance of an Earl Grey, the smoky draw of a lapsang souchong, or the relaxing serenity of a chamomile, but naturally caffeine-free rooibos, sometimes known as redbush or red tea, has a certain charm worth lifting your pinky for. Grown only in the Cederberg Mountain region of South Africa’s Western Cape, it has a [robust, woodsy flavor with vanilla-like notes]( with a rounder, fuller body than a typical black tea. Rooibos (Afrikaans for “red bush”) has become a fixture on café menus in Europe and the US in recent years, but it has long been sipped in South Africa, first by the Khoisan peoples—once [the largest human group]( on the planet—and then by Dutch, British, and Russian colonists who turned indigenous knowledge of the plant into a thriving industry. While the legacy of colonization and apartheid has left rooibos production almost entirely in the hands of white growers and processors, [South Africa has taken potentially ground-breaking steps]( to compensate Khoisan communities. Let’s spill the tea (or tisane). 🐦 [Tweet this!]( 🌐 [View this email on the web]( By the digits [16,000 tons:]( Annual rooibos production in South Africa [4,000 tons:]( Annual production in 1993, during the fall of apartheid [2-3 minutes:]( Recommended steep time to brew red espresso—a coffee-like version of rooibos—in a French press [>8,000:]( Varieties of wild flowers and herbs that grow in the Cederberg conservancy, home to rooibos [70%:]( Increase in sales a rooibos company credited to The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and its rooibos-drinking heroine, in a letter to series author and [tea fanatic Alexander McCall Smith]( [210:]( Calories in a Starbucks grande rooibos latte [£2.75 ($3.55):]( Price of a red apple rooibos latte at Starbucks [32:]( Size, in hectares, of the Audacia winery in Stellenbosch, which makes rooibos-wooded wine [5.6 billion:]( Cups of tea the annual rooibos harvest could brew Winfried Bruenken Origin Story Rooibos roots --------------------------------------------------------------- As with most [foodie “discoveries” of the last 20 years]( [quinoa]( açaí, goji berries, chia seeds—rooibos has been around for a long, long time. The earthy tea first gained international exposure in the 1770s, when [Dutch settlers to the Western Cape of South Africa began drinking it]( instead of having expensive black tea imported from Europe. Still, it remained a local beverage for another 120 years, until Russian native [Benjamin Ginsberg was introduced]( to the local “mountain tea” after moving to the area to help with his father’s trading post near Clanwilliam. Realizing the potential, Ginsberg [began selling rooibos]( in 1904. By the 1920s, overharvesting the limited crop became a major problem. Production greatly expanded in 1930, when botanist Pieter Le Fras Nortier found a way to cultivate the rooibos seed on a larger scale, helping to [transform the finicky bush]( into a bonafide agricultural product. Rooibos’s transformation from a [“poor man’s drink”]( to a latte concoction began with the 1954 establishment of a [control board]( to stabilize the small industry—some [500 tons]( annually—during a market downturn. In 1968, a South African mother, Annique Theron, claimed that rooibos tea cleared up her infant daughter’s allergies; she started a company around the idea that expanded into[250 products]( and sparked interest in its[potential medical benefits](. When the apartheid regime fell in the early 1990s, and sanctions along with it, rooibos began to find an [international audience]( the UK, starting as a health drink. Today, [about half of the annual crop]( is exported to more than 30 countries, with the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Japan, and Germany taking the lion’s share. giphy Quartz membership The cardboard kings --------------------------------------------------------------- With a trillion-dollar valuation and a business that spans everything from in-house brands to third-party inventory, Amazon has built its empire by disrupting US retail. Quartz’s Marc Bain reports on [how an online bookseller came to redefine an industry]( and what competitors are doing to keep up. [Read now]( Quotable “It smells like a mix of NyQuil and my grandpa’s pipe and tastes very mildly of both. But, and here’s the thing: not in a bad way.” —[Elizabeth Gunnison Dunn, describing rooibos in Esquire]( AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam The way we 🍵 now A landmark legal case --------------------------------------------------------------- Long before Benjamin Ginsberg sipped his first cup of mountain tea, resulting in the eventual industrialization of rooibos production, [South Africa’s indigenous Khoisan peoples]( consumed it. When it went commercial under colonial rule, the Khoisan lost much of their access to the plant, and to the land on which it grew. In 2019, South Africa’s environment minister, the National Khoisan Council, the San Council of South Africa, and the South African Rooibos Council agreed that [when farmers sell their rooibos to tea processors, an annual “traditional knowledge levy of 1.5%”]( will go to Khoisan communities. To be entrusted equally to the National Khoisan Council, and the San Council, [the total could top $800,000 yearly](. That’s a very small share of the industry’s estimated [$23 billion annual]( revenue, but the agreement was more about recognition than finances. “This is the first time since knowledge was misappropriated over 150 and 200 years ago that the communities are firstly recognized as traditional knowledge holders and, as a result of that, qualify for benefit sharing,” Lesle Jansen, an attorney with the environmental and human rights law firm Natural Justice, who represented the National Khoisan Council in the negotiations, [told Quartz](. The documentary [Rooibos Restitution]( shows how the decision came together. Fun fact! Rooibos received [GI (geographic indicator) status in 2014]( meaning that tea can only be called rooibos if it was grown in the Cederberg region of South Africa. Other GI statuses include Champagne, Stilton cheese and Vidalia onions. Have a friend who would enjoy our Obsession with Rooibos? [ [Forward link to a friend](mailto:?subject=Thought you'd enjoy.&body=Read this Quartz Daily Obsession email – to the email – Giphy pop quiz The majority of the tea dumped into the Boston Harbor in 1773 was what variety? The exact type has been lost to history.OolongBoheaRooibos Correct. One account reports the loss of 240 chests of Bohea, 15 of Congou, 10 of Souchong (all black teas), 60 of Singlo, and 15 of Hyson (both green teas). Incorrect. If your inbox doesn’t support this quiz, find the solution at bottom of email. Explain it like I’m 5! Why does hot tea help us cool down? --------------------------------------------------------------- While our impulse may be to reach for an icy beverage when the mercury rises, a series of studies conducted by the University of Ottawa has found that hot drinks cool us down better. “When you ingest a hot drink, you actually have a disproportionate increase in the amount that you sweat,” researcher Ollie Jay [told Smithsonian](. “Yes, the hot drink is hotter than your body temperature, so you are adding heat to the body, but the amount that you increase your sweating by—if that can all evaporate—more than compensates for the the added heat to the body from the fluid.” Jay and his team tested the theory in a controlled lab environment by getting cyclists to work up a sweat. They measured the amount of oxygen consumed and carbon dioxide produced by the bikers, while also tracking air temperature and humidity. Afterward, the studies showed that the cyclists who drank water heated to about 122°F stored less heat in their bodies than those who drank cool water. Watch this! Say what? --------------------------------------------------------------- Just how do you pronounce rooibos? Here’s a pronunciation guide to several tongue-twisting teas. Giphy Million-dollar question Is rooibos actually tea? --------------------------------------------------------------- Like other herbal “teas,” rooibos isn’t truly tea. In the strictest sense of the word, tea comes from Camellia sinensis in the plant family Theaceae. Rooibos doesn’t come from this plant family, and neither do some of our other favorite mug-fillers including chamomile, echinacea, mint, and lavender. None of those are technically tea, but rather, [tisanes]( also known as herbal teas. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, true tea is classified first by its level of fermentation after the leaves are harvested (rooibos is also fermented). The level of oxidation and the method of drying and fermentation also contribute to the nuances of their flavor. White and green teas are unfermented; oolong is semi-fermented; and black and pu-erh teas are fully fermented. Classifications like Assam, Darjeeling, Ceylon, and Formosa indicate where the tea was grown. Some varieties, like Earl Grey, jasmine, and orange pekoe are blended with oils or leaves from other aromatic plants to produce their signature flavors. DIY South African iced tea --------------------------------------------------------------- Rooibos isn’t just for sipping from a mug. Bartenders have been using it as a [buzzy cocktail]( ingredient—its distinct flavor mixes well with everything from [shochu and blackberries]( to [gin and vermouth]( to [whiskey and honey]( in a twist on a classic hot toddy. Giphy poll Which is your favorite? [Click here to vote]( RooibosEnglish breakfastChamomileOther 💬 let's talk! In yesterday’s poll about [late capitalism]( 56% of you said that we’re currently experiencing late-stage capitalism, and that the revolution is coming next. 🤔 [What did you think of today’s email?](mailto:obsession%2Bfeedback@qz.com?cc=&subject=Thoughts%20about%20rooibos%20&body=) 💡 [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:obsession%2Bideas@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) [🎲]( [Show me a random Obsession]( Today’s email was written by [Stacy Conradt]( edited by [Annaliese Griffin]( and produced by [Tori Smith](. . [facebook]( The correct answer to the quiz is Bohea. Enjoying the Quartz Daily Obsession? [Send this link]( to a friend! Want to advertise in the Quartz Daily Obsession? Send us an email at ads@qz.com. Not enjoying it? No worries. [Click here]( to unsubscribe. Quartz | 675 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10011 | United States