Redespresso tea
By: DianaIn Tea, Product Reviews on August 28th, 2008
Have you tried the Rooibos Tea from South Africa? It’s a red tea with a much more concentrated level of antioxidants than other teas and caffeine free. It’s only grown in South Africa. The Rooibos used for Redespresso is grown at the highest altitude and hand-harvested from a single family run farm in the Western Cape of South Africa through a process that has been handed down through generations.
Rooibos tea is a red tea, which has a really nice aroma although some have likened it to tobacco. I can get a whiff of that, but mostly, it smells like tea to me. The plants are different also. Redespresso is designed to be used in an espresso machine, or coffee machine, much the same as you would use coffee grounds. I don’t have an espresso machine, so I used my Senseo to make a cup of Redespresso tea.
The tea came out with a light layer of foam on top, just like the coffee does. It’s naturally sweet and didn’t need any sweetener. However, after tasting it straight, I added milk and sugar and it tasted nice that way also. It’s not spicy like Chai, it’s a red tea and tasted like tea but without the tannins. Redespresso is supposed to be darker and stronger in flavor than regular Rooibos Tea.
Redespresso won Best New Product at SCAA(Specialty Coffee Association of America), the worlds largest coffee trade show and was selected as one of the top ten new products at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas. It’s launching in the U.S at all Whole Foods Market Stores. 
Here are a couple of Redespresso recipes:
Long Red(double Rooibos espresso) : Use 2 heaping TBS per serving. 
Fresh Red (Rooibos espresso and fruit juice)
- Fill glass to the top with ice.
- Fill 2/3 with clear fruit juice (apple or white cranberry are ideal)
- Gently pour a long red on top.
- Tip garnish with fresh mint.
Red Frappe
- Prepare a long red
- Blend with crushed ice and milk
- Serve in chilled glass
- For a sweeter taste dissolve honey into the red espresso shot while it’s hot.
