HONEYBUSH TEA

Honeybush tea is an indigenous herbal tea to South Africa, having a pleasant taste and flavour. " Heuningtee, Bergtee, Boertee, Bossiestee, Bushtea" are some of the many names the tea is called.
The earliest mention of the honeybush plant in botanical literature was in 1705. Although it is not clear whether the bush was used for consumption in those days, it can be assumed that the local inhabitants soon realised the health giving properties of the tea in their search for natural herbs and medicines. It grows only in the coastal districts of the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces in South Africa.
Honeybush tea plants have woody stems, a relatively low ratio of leaves to stems and hard-shelled seeds that germinate poorly if not scarified prior to germinatio.

Leaf shape and size differ within the species, but are mostly thin, needle-like to elongated, broadish leaves.


During the flowering period the bushes are easily recognized in the field as they are covered with distinctive, deep-yellow flowers, which have a characteristic sweet honey scent, from which the tea acquires its name. According to traditional methods the tea is harvested during the flowering period. Cyclopia intermedia and Cyclopia subternata flower in September/October while Cyclopia sessiliflora flowers in May/June.

Commercialization of honeybush tea cultivation should lead to planned harvesting and more homogeneous material of predictable quality. The largest export customers of rooibos, and possible future customers of honeybush tea are Japan, Germany and Switzerland, where health drinks are particularly sought after. The growing export figures and an increase in local consumption has sparked off a widespread interest in the commercial growing and processing of honeybush tea. The manufacture of honeybush tea consists of four characteristic processing steps, harvesting, cutting, "fermentation" (oxidation) and drying.

To appreciate the delicate sweet taste and flavour, no milk or sugar should be added to the Honeybush tea. Descriptions of the flavour vary from that of hot apricot jam, floral, honey-like and dried fruit mix with the overall impression of sweetness. The tea has the added advantage that the cold infusion can also be used as iced tea and that it blends well with fruit juices.



HARVESTING

Harvesting of honeybush tea was traditionally done during the flowering period, but with the increasing demand, some of the major producers were forced to extend the harvesting period to late summer. The gathering of material from natural field populations often takes days, since plants are harvested in the more mountainous regions of the production area, these areas are often inaccessible to normal transport.

Bushes are harvested every two to three years. After a fire the bushes of Cyclopia intermedia show more growth, have more flowers and often reach one to one and half meters in height.