Most of our lives are punctuated by tea.
It’s probably fair to say that mostly everyone drinks some tea or another whether it be Earl Grey, rooibos or chamomile or just sommer the cheapest grocery blend these days.
My grandpa drove over me in his old car when I was a little kid and what I remember is — not surviving because I was quite oblivious to the whole near-death episode — that my grandparents were crying and so was my mother and we were all whisked off to the kitchen for tea with sugar in it.
And they made me drink it too. That’s honestly my first memory of tea.
As South Africans we are known to say “come in for a cup of tea” if it’s an hour of the day when we don’t offer an alcoholic beverage.
I lived in Istanbul for a year and it wasn’t just my imagination that Turks drink tea all day long.
They start the day with it, carry on the day drinking copious volumes of it and then end it with a soothing cuppa.
I saw a lot of tea-drinking in Hong Kong for many years, but the Turks’ affinity to tea is something else to behold.
The canteen where I worked offered free tea all day long.
The tea shops in Istanbul were absolutely mind-boggling when it came to the choice of teas.
Leaves are hand-chosen from various mixes and it’s all personally blended.
It is regarded as undignified to just shove a tea bag into a cup in Istanbul.
My local friends taught me the art of buying the loose tea and then there are very beautiful special teapots.
They are warmed, boiling water is poured gently over the leaves and what results is a magnificent rendition of the drink.
This pot lingers all day and is constantly topped up with water and lovingly tended to.
It’s a social thing, it’s a sacred ritual, and this I know because when Turks invite you to chat, they make tea and they keep pouring it.
Turkey is officially the world’s largest tea-drinking country, with each Turk consuming an average of 1,300 cups per year, according to Harney & Sons Master Tea Blenders.
Second place belongs to ... not the UK as you might be thinking, but to Britain’s next-door neighbour, Ireland.
The Irish drink nearly five pounds of tea per person every year — whether they add a shot of Irish whiskey to their tea is their business.
The UK comes in third, with Brits quaffing just more than four pounds a year.
To my surprise, Harney & Sons says China comes only in 19th in individual consumption.
The last time I got excited about tea was when I lived in Istanbul and was doing the expatriate thing and choosing teas to bring back home.
These I had all blended and beautifully wrapped for me in muslin-sort of bags.
For my partner I chose a love tea and it was the most exquisite concoction I have ever seen with lavender leaves, tiny rose buds, spices, you name it.
South Africans have long been mesmerised by the subtle, earthy taste and numerous health benefits of rooibos tea (also known as red bush tea).
I took it to my Turkish friends, who were very impressed with it, but it’s an acquired taste.
But there’s another local herbal tea on the map now called honeybush, and it’s gaining popularity for its honey-like smell, high antioxidant count and sweet taste.
Both teas (rooibos and honeybush) are unique in that they are indigenous to very specific areas within SA.
Rooibos hails from the Cederberg mountains in the Western Cape, while honeybush grows wild in the mountains along the coast from Cape Town to Gqeberha and it seems to thrive on the Garden Route.
It’s been grown and used by locals for its various health properties for hundreds of years I am told, but its increasing popularity has spurred the growth of honeybush on a more commercial level right here on the Garden Route at Kurland Estate.
The director of the Southern Cape Tea Company, Alexander Behr, has been growing honeybush tea for the past 12 years on his 50 hectares of the estate and employing 20 staff to help run the project.
He has loved following in his family’s footsteps, with his agricultural roots stemming from his grandfather, Baron Peter Behr, who purchased Kurland in 1941 and started farming pine nuts and fruit on the estate.
The Kurland and Kleinberg Tea Estates has been growing honeybush (Cyclopia longifolia) for nearly a decade.
“Rooibos has done so well and is now distributed all around the world,” Alexander Behr said.
“We see the same potential for honeybush.”
Planting and harvesting the shrub sustainably and commercially, to counteract honeybush’s over-harvesting and strengthen the industry’s growth, have not been without their own learning curves, but now Behr has found a sturdy cultivar which thrives in Kurland’s area and as a result the annual honeybush harvests are yielding some pretty sweet rewards.
Five years ago, Behr formed a meaningful partnership with Nelson Mandela’s granddaughters and the Long Walk to Freedom Foundation.
Together they launched Mandela Tea as an officially licensed product.
What’s so beautiful about this collaboration is its commitment to sustainability on all levels.
Not only is the tea 100% organically farmed, undergoing an annual international audit to maintain its eco-certification, but with every box of Mandela Tea one buys, a contribution is made to The Mandela Day School Library Project.
“We’re proud that we can provide employment opportunities in the area, as well as skills development as far as the tea production is concerned,” Behr said.
“We’re also incredibly passionate about the product and believe that honeybush tea can become an iconic SA product, alongside rooibos, Mrs Ball’s Chutney and many others.”
There are good reasons to keep sipping honeybush tea, according to the experts:
Tea drinkers will often describe the taste as sweeter than rooibos, with a floral, lightly roasted taste, similar to honey.
Honeybush tea is completely caffeine-free and it’s packed full of antioxidants, which are allegedly beneficial for suppressing coughs, enriching skin, alleviating menopausal symptoms and ageing.
Antioxidants have also been shown to be beneficial for more serious conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
How then should one prepare this honeybush tea?
In summer, enjoy a refreshing honeybush iced tea with lemon zest: Add a cup (250ml) of freshly boiled water over one teaspoon of the dried tea leaves — or use the tea bags, well that’s if you aren’t trying to impress Turkish friends.
Steep the leaves for about five to seven minutes; then strain the loose leaves and pour the finished tea into a tall glass with ice.
For that sublime cuppa, serve with a light sprinkle of lemon zest and lemon slices, to taste.
For winter days, have it piping hot with a teaspoon of honey, lightly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, a clove and some cardamom (which you add to the pot while the tea is steeping).
Go online and google the various Mandela Tea products all resplendent in their lovely tins and packaging.
It’s very impressive ... so much so I will take some to my Turkish friends soon.
WEEKENDER
There’s just something soothing about tea
Honeybush brew taking off on the Garden Route
Image: Ryan French
Most of our lives are punctuated by tea.
It’s probably fair to say that mostly everyone drinks some tea or another whether it be Earl Grey, rooibos or chamomile or just sommer the cheapest grocery blend these days.
My grandpa drove over me in his old car when I was a little kid and what I remember is — not surviving because I was quite oblivious to the whole near-death episode — that my grandparents were crying and so was my mother and we were all whisked off to the kitchen for tea with sugar in it.
And they made me drink it too. That’s honestly my first memory of tea.
As South Africans we are known to say “come in for a cup of tea” if it’s an hour of the day when we don’t offer an alcoholic beverage.
I lived in Istanbul for a year and it wasn’t just my imagination that Turks drink tea all day long.
They start the day with it, carry on the day drinking copious volumes of it and then end it with a soothing cuppa.
I saw a lot of tea-drinking in Hong Kong for many years, but the Turks’ affinity to tea is something else to behold.
The canteen where I worked offered free tea all day long.
The tea shops in Istanbul were absolutely mind-boggling when it came to the choice of teas.
Leaves are hand-chosen from various mixes and it’s all personally blended.
It is regarded as undignified to just shove a tea bag into a cup in Istanbul.
My local friends taught me the art of buying the loose tea and then there are very beautiful special teapots.
They are warmed, boiling water is poured gently over the leaves and what results is a magnificent rendition of the drink.
This pot lingers all day and is constantly topped up with water and lovingly tended to.
It’s a social thing, it’s a sacred ritual, and this I know because when Turks invite you to chat, they make tea and they keep pouring it.
Turkey is officially the world’s largest tea-drinking country, with each Turk consuming an average of 1,300 cups per year, according to Harney & Sons Master Tea Blenders.
Second place belongs to ... not the UK as you might be thinking, but to Britain’s next-door neighbour, Ireland.
The Irish drink nearly five pounds of tea per person every year — whether they add a shot of Irish whiskey to their tea is their business.
The UK comes in third, with Brits quaffing just more than four pounds a year.
To my surprise, Harney & Sons says China comes only in 19th in individual consumption.
The last time I got excited about tea was when I lived in Istanbul and was doing the expatriate thing and choosing teas to bring back home.
These I had all blended and beautifully wrapped for me in muslin-sort of bags.
For my partner I chose a love tea and it was the most exquisite concoction I have ever seen with lavender leaves, tiny rose buds, spices, you name it.
South Africans have long been mesmerised by the subtle, earthy taste and numerous health benefits of rooibos tea (also known as red bush tea).
I took it to my Turkish friends, who were very impressed with it, but it’s an acquired taste.
But there’s another local herbal tea on the map now called honeybush, and it’s gaining popularity for its honey-like smell, high antioxidant count and sweet taste.
Both teas (rooibos and honeybush) are unique in that they are indigenous to very specific areas within SA.
Rooibos hails from the Cederberg mountains in the Western Cape, while honeybush grows wild in the mountains along the coast from Cape Town to Gqeberha and it seems to thrive on the Garden Route.
It’s been grown and used by locals for its various health properties for hundreds of years I am told, but its increasing popularity has spurred the growth of honeybush on a more commercial level right here on the Garden Route at Kurland Estate.
The director of the Southern Cape Tea Company, Alexander Behr, has been growing honeybush tea for the past 12 years on his 50 hectares of the estate and employing 20 staff to help run the project.
He has loved following in his family’s footsteps, with his agricultural roots stemming from his grandfather, Baron Peter Behr, who purchased Kurland in 1941 and started farming pine nuts and fruit on the estate.
The Kurland and Kleinberg Tea Estates has been growing honeybush (Cyclopia longifolia) for nearly a decade.
“Rooibos has done so well and is now distributed all around the world,” Alexander Behr said.
“We see the same potential for honeybush.”
Planting and harvesting the shrub sustainably and commercially, to counteract honeybush’s over-harvesting and strengthen the industry’s growth, have not been without their own learning curves, but now Behr has found a sturdy cultivar which thrives in Kurland’s area and as a result the annual honeybush harvests are yielding some pretty sweet rewards.
Five years ago, Behr formed a meaningful partnership with Nelson Mandela’s granddaughters and the Long Walk to Freedom Foundation.
Together they launched Mandela Tea as an officially licensed product.
What’s so beautiful about this collaboration is its commitment to sustainability on all levels.
Not only is the tea 100% organically farmed, undergoing an annual international audit to maintain its eco-certification, but with every box of Mandela Tea one buys, a contribution is made to The Mandela Day School Library Project.
“We’re proud that we can provide employment opportunities in the area, as well as skills development as far as the tea production is concerned,” Behr said.
“We’re also incredibly passionate about the product and believe that honeybush tea can become an iconic SA product, alongside rooibos, Mrs Ball’s Chutney and many others.”
There are good reasons to keep sipping honeybush tea, according to the experts:
Tea drinkers will often describe the taste as sweeter than rooibos, with a floral, lightly roasted taste, similar to honey.
Honeybush tea is completely caffeine-free and it’s packed full of antioxidants, which are allegedly beneficial for suppressing coughs, enriching skin, alleviating menopausal symptoms and ageing.
Antioxidants have also been shown to be beneficial for more serious conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
How then should one prepare this honeybush tea?
In summer, enjoy a refreshing honeybush iced tea with lemon zest: Add a cup (250ml) of freshly boiled water over one teaspoon of the dried tea leaves — or use the tea bags, well that’s if you aren’t trying to impress Turkish friends.
Steep the leaves for about five to seven minutes; then strain the loose leaves and pour the finished tea into a tall glass with ice.
For that sublime cuppa, serve with a light sprinkle of lemon zest and lemon slices, to taste.
For winter days, have it piping hot with a teaspoon of honey, lightly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, a clove and some cardamom (which you add to the pot while the tea is steeping).
Go online and google the various Mandela Tea products all resplendent in their lovely tins and packaging.
It’s very impressive ... so much so I will take some to my Turkish friends soon.
WEEKENDER
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