organic vanilla honeybush herbal tea

type: herbal

origin: africa south africa

variety: rooibos

ingredients: honeybush vanilla flavor

caffeine: no-caffeine

price level: $$$$

Stash Organic Vanilla Honeybush is an herbal infusion that is low in tannins and contains no caffeine. This unique drink is tasty and aromatic. It brews up a warm reddish-brown color and is full bodied and slightly spicy with a sweet aftertaste. It's a great drink hot or iced, with or without milk and sweetener. Related to the rooibos plant, honeybush is easily recognized by the masses of deep-yellow flowers that emit a sweet honey aroma, hence the name. Almost all honeybush is currently harvested from the wild, mountainous regions of South Africa, and great care is taken to preserve its habitat. According to tradition, it is harvested during the flowering period during September and October. The entire harvesting process is very tedious and labor intensive. Honeybush is hand cut by harvesters who use sickles. The stems are then made into bundles of 15 to 20 pounds and transported to a lower collection point using wire and a pulley system. The honeybush is then moved to the processing plant where it is placed in a large stainless steel tank. The tanks, or fermentation ovens, produce about 350 pounds of dry tea every 80 hours. Once the tea is air dried it is cut, sifted, and ready for use.