Blueberry Bang Rooibos Loose Leaf Tea

BLUEBERRY BANG ROOIBOS (HERBAL TEA – Rooibos means RED BUSH in Afrikaans)

Country of Origin: South Africa

Cup Characteristics: Incredible fresh fruit character that conjures memories of tiny flavorful blueberries.

Infusion: The aroma of the infusion portends a wonderful taste experience.

Ingredients: Rooibos, Elderberries, Hibiscus, Apple pieces, Dried currants, Cranberries, Cornflower petals, Natural flavors.

Information: Blueberry bang, we admit, is a strange name for a cup of tea. But did you know the name actually comes from an old recipe of Eastern Canada? To explain we take you to 1930’s New Brunswick. In those days a German immigrant named Frederick Wolfhasen began experimenting with new machines to facilitate the picking of the low growing wild blueberries that grew in abundance around his farm. Searching for the ultimate apparatus, Frederick built machines with pulleys, ropes, bicycle pedals, you name it. Everything went swimmingly until one day in August of 1934 when he fired up his latest invention, a diesel powered picker. We must tell you here that back in the old country Frederick was a tailor, not an engineer. Suffice it to say, he probably should have kept clear of the internal combustion engine. He pulled the starter. As it began to whir and rumble, Frederick began to calculate the dollars he would soon line his pockets with.

A half-mile away, Frederick’s sturdy wife Gisela began to prepare lunch, a German pancake made from flour, shortening and sugar. As she mixed and stirred she heard what would later be described by the dairyman, who doubled as the local reporter, as a “loud clap, booming and most frightful.” Running outside, Gisela froze in her tracks when she saw what would later be described by the same dairyman as, “a wall, nay, a tidal wave of blueberries,” flying towards the house. Moments later Gisela, her new sundress, the porch, and her dog Fritz, were plastered. Frederick, whose English was still not all that good, covered the half mile back to the farm house in a mere 5 minutes yelling, “Blueberries! Bang! Gisela!” over and over as he did so. By the time he arrived, Gisela, being the good stout wife that she was, was already back in the kitchen stirring her dough, which was now peppered richly with the deliciously sweet wild blueberries. Frederick blurted again, “Bluberries! Bang! Gisela!” To which Gisela replied, “Yah. Blueberries. Bang. Frederick.” Well, about 30 minutes later they sat down to the most delicious dish either of them had ever eaten. At her husband’s urging, Gisela later entered the concoction at the local fair and the name stuck.

90 years or so later, we’ve created this wonderful blueberry bang rooibos tea as a tribute to the Wolfhasens. Caffeine free, rich in minerals and with high vitamin content, we feel that this is one innovative blend the couple would have gone crazy for. Wonderful hot or cold, this tea has the mellow qualities of rooibos with the character of a cupful of fresh wild blueberries. Wunderbar!

Hot tea brewing method: Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil. Place 1 teaspoon of rooibos for each cup into the teapot. Pour the boiling water into the teapot. Cover and let steep for 3-7 minutes according to taste (the longer the steeping time the stronger the tea). Rooibos is generally consumed on its own but milk and a dash of sugar may be added to taste.

Iced tea-brewing method: (to make 1 liter/quart): Place 6 teaspoons of tea into a teapot or heat resistant pitcher. Pour 1 1/4 cups of freshly boiled water over the tea. Steep for 5 minutes. Quarter fill a serving pitcher with cold water. Pour the tea into your serving pitcher straining the leaves. Add ice and top-up the pitcher with cold water. Garnish and sweeten to taste. [A rule of thumb when preparing fresh brewed iced tea is to double the strength of hot tea since it will be poured over ice and diluted with cold water].