Honeybush Tea

A naturally caffeine-free herbal infusion, known for its gentle sweetness and smooth, honey-like aroma. It’s closely related to rooibos, another beloved South African tea, but offers a softer, more floral flavor.

Honeybush tea

• While rooibos is made from the needle-like leaves and stems of the Aspalathus linearis plant, honeybush comes from Cyclopia, a sun-loving shrub named for the bright yellow, honey-scented flowers it produces.

Produced using traditional methods

• Like rooibos, honeybush is made using time-honored artisanal methods.
• The leaves are cut, lightly bruised, and then left to oxidise naturally in the sun. This process deepens both its colour and its distinctive aroma.

Naturally caffeine free

• As honeybush contains no caffeine, infusions made with its leaves and stems are soothing and naturally caffeine free.
• Honeybush is often enjoyed as a gentle alternative to the ‘true’ teas. Due to its low tannin content, it never turns bitter, even if you steep it for longer.

Honeybush is easy and quite forgiving to prepare. Here are some tips to help you get the best out of your bush tea.

Water

• Filtered or spring water makes better-tasting tea.
• Start with an empty kettle to ensure the water is fresh.
• Ideally, add only as much water to the kettle as you need for your cup/pot. This saves energy and avoids the need to waste the spent water when you come to make your next cup!

Temperature

• Honeybush tea can tolerate higher temperatures than some other teas.
• Freshly boiled water will release all the rich flavour notes and beneficial compounds without any risk of bitterness.

How much tea?

• Dragonfly teabags contain just the right amount of tea leaves for a mug of tea (about 250ml capacity).

Steeping

• Check your packaging for the recommended brewing time for each tea.
• Feel free to experiment with steeping time to find out what works best for you: honeybush infusions never go bitter.
• Longer brewing reveals fuller, more intense flavours.

Sweet, honeyed and exceptionally smooth

• Honeybush tea is clear and fresh, with a natural honey scent.
• It’s delicate and delicious without milk or as an iced tea.

Properties and benefits of honeybush tea

• Unlike the Camellia sinensis plant, from which traditional green, black, and oolong teas are made, the honeybush shrub contains no caffeine – making every cup naturally soothing and caffeine-free.
• While caffeine is not necessarily harmful, too much can sometimes lead to restlessness, disrupted sleep, or feelings of anxiety.
• Honeybush is rich in powerful antioxidants, particularly polyphenols like mangiferin, xanthones, and flavanones.
• Research suggests regular consumption of antioxidants can help protect against free radicals, which have been linked to conditions from heart disease to diabetes.
• Honeybush is also naturally low in tannins, the astringent compounds in traditional black tea that can interfere with iron absorption.
• In South Africa, honeybush tea has been cherished as a soothing, restorative infusion for generations.

Growing honeybush tea

• Honeybush is native to the western and eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. There it grows in small, often mountainous areas of natural shrubland.
• Tea growers monitor the colour, texture, and moisture of the honeybush plants to determine the ideal time for harvest.

Making honeybush tea

• Cape bush teas were first recorded in 1772 by Swedish botanist Carl Thunberg, who documented the traditional use of South Africa’s indigenous herbal infusions.
• The leaves and stems are harvested by hand in summer, then chopped, lightly bruised, and moistened before being left to oxidise naturally in the warm South African sun.
• As the leaves oxidise, they deepen from green to a rich reddish-brown, further developing the tea’s characteristic honeyed aroma and sweetness.