Tea may begin with the same plant, Camellia sinensis, but it can take remarkably different forms depending on where it is grown and how its leaves are processed. China is known for its range of tea-making techniques. India has established regional styles with recognisable flavour profiles. Across Africa, tea producers cultivate black, green, white and speciality teas, while the continent is also home to herbal infusions such as rooibos. Understanding these differences begins with the…

Unlike tea in Kenya, rooibos was not introduced to South Africa from abroad. The plant, Aspalathus linearis, is native to the Cederberg and surrounding regions of the Western Cape. Exactly when people first began using it as a drink is unknown, but indigenous Khoi and San communities held traditional knowledge associated with the plant long before it became a commercial product. 1772European botanist Carl Peter Thunberg travelled through the Cape and recorded local people preparing…