Flavored rooibos tea

Flavored rooibos tea

I really wasn't able to find specific information about tea in Swaziland online. I did find reference to making flavored rooibos tea, so I used a generic tea brewing method that was linked to Africa. I'm not sure of the authenticity, but I know that ginger flavored beverages are very popular there. So, we're making ginger rooibos tea today.

I'm using some of my dried  ginger. I washed it (peeling it isn't going to happen in this form), and put it in a saucepan with 4 cups (about a liter) of water.
I think this piece of ginger kind of looks like a hammerhead shark.
 I will admit I thought about putting this in the pressure cooker to see how the ginger responds, but I decided to document sauce pan first. I make no guarantees about the future. I simmered the ginger for 20 to 25 minutes, and pulled it out of the pan to slice.
All but the outer millimeter was still dry, but it was warm, and soft enough to slice. Technically I haven't tried slicing it while completely dry, so I don't know how hard it is straight out of the bag. I always think that I have less of a chance of hurting myself if I soften it up first. Anyway, back in the pot it went to steep for another 20 minutes or so. Then I brought it back to a boil, and strained into a cup with a rooibos tea bag.
The first time I tried rooibos tea, it was plain. I can't say that I was a fan. I discovered that the addition of lemon could make it palatable. So what did I think of it with ginger? It was pretty good. The ginger flavor could have been a little stronger to help balance out the strong flavor of the rooibos, but I would definitely drink it this way again.


Comments

  1. Poppy CrockerNovember 19, 2017 at 7:32 AM

    I'm sad the little shark got cut up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lace makerNovember 19, 2017 at 10:12 AM

    If it makes you feel any better, it was a vegan shark. No actual sharks were harmed to make this tea.

    ReplyDelete

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