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History & process of Rooibos tea farming

WRITTEN BY

Kate Bergh

LAST UPDATED

September 15, 2021

Did you know that the Cederberg region of South Africa is the only place in the world where Rooibos tea is grown? Other countries (and even other areas in South Africa), have tried and failed, so it is rather unique in this regard!

Rooibos tea is one of the most important industries of this mountainous area with the tea being exported all over the world.

Countries which particularly love Rooibos tea include Germany, the USA and France. With the tea-loving Brits also importing significant quantities. 

So what is all the fuss?

What sets rooibos apart, besides its delicious taste, are its many health benefits… and there are plenty!

  • High in anti-oxidants – this aids in fighting cancer and other diseases, boosts the immune system and reduces aging (hooray!)
  • It is completely pure and natural as it contains no additives, preservatives or colourants.
  • Rooibos is naturally caffeine-free, and is considered a low tannin beverage

It’s for these reasons that you’ll find rooibos extracts being used in a lot of health and beauty products, from face cream to dietary supplements.

For the complete history of rooibos, check out this longer blog post. We give the history highlights here.

Our guests at Simbavati Cederberg Ridge are always intrigued by the fact that it is indigenous to the area.

Where it all began

The story of Rooibos started over 300 years ago when the indigenous bushmen of the area, the Khoisan, harvested the leaves from the Aspalathus Linearis plant. The leaves were used as herbal remedies for many ailments, and they loved for their delicious, aromatic taste.

And then in 1772, a European botanist Carl Thunberg observed the way this clever indigenous tribe climbed the mountains to find wild rooibos plants. His captivation with this practice revived a more widespread interest in the tea drink.

It is also worth noting that early Cape-Dutch settlers started drinking rooibos tea as a cheaper alternative to the very expensive black tea from Europe. That tea had to be imported by ship, so rooibos was a great substitute!

Fast forward 200 years to 1904 when Benjamin Ginsberg appeared on the scene. He was a young Russian immigrant, (often called the father of commercial Rooibos Tea), who joined his tea-trading father on the farm Rondegat in the Clanwilliam district of the Cederberg. Ginsberg had a fascination with the plant and began marketing the drink as a ‘Mountain Tea’ – a herbal alternative to tea.

But in 1930 Dr le Fras Nortier, the local doctor and amateur botanist, was the first to discovered the secret of germinating Rooibos seeds, and together with Olof Bergh, a commercial farmer, they started a new cultivation method

Soon the production of Rooibos began on a much larger scale along the slopes of the Cederberg mountain range.

Since then there have been many innovations, including using it in baby creams, developing green Rooibos tea and within making the very first tea espresso in the world. (So now you can have a Rooibos expresso or a Red Cappuccino.)

So how is Rooibos tea actually made?

Traditionally, the bunches of leaves were rolled into hessian bags and brought down from the mountain by donkeys. 

The leaves and fine stems were then chopped with axes and bruised with mallets before being left in heaps to ferment. Once fermented, the Rooibos was spread out to dry in the hot African sun, ready for use as a thirst-quenching drink.

In a way, not much has changed in this whole process, although the methods are now far more refined and mechanised.

Rooibos is typically harvested in the hot summer months of January to April.

Special machines collect the Rooibos, which is then delivered to the factory. Here it is graded according to length, colour, flavour and aroma. This guarantees a high quality across all grades suitable for packing into teabags or loose-leaf form.

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - rooibos

The last step is the screening, blending and steam treatment, using state-of-the-art equipment. After all this, the finished product is packed in special bags or boxes ready for dispatch to customers all over the world, for further processing and blending.

Experience rooibos during your stay at Cederberg Ridge

Many guests at Cederberg Ridge have been charmed by the story of rooibos tea. So to give them the full rooibos experience, we offer our guests a guided rooibos tea farm tour that includes a tea tasting. We also have a variety of delicious rooibos teas to taste at the lodge and to purchase from our lodge shop. A stay at Simbavati Cederberg Ridge wouldn’t be complete without it!

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Simbavati Cederberg Ridge owner, Kate Bergh, shares the benefits to selecting our Full Board and Activities option

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - walking

When Simbavati Cederberg Ridge opened its doors, we naturally wanted to accommodate people who were passing through the Cederberg, as well as those coming to spend a few days at our wilderness lodge. So we offered a Dinner, Bed & Breakfast rate.

However, this does not suit most guests best, and many of them don't realise it until they stay. If you're staying for longer than 1 night and planning on enjoying some activities while you take in the Cederberg splendour, the Full Board and Activities option is ideal.

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - rock art

Benefits of booking Full Board & Activities

  • It’s the best value for money, if you plan on doing excursions during your stay rather than to book Dinner, Bed & Breakfast and pay for activities and lunch when you arrive
  • You get first choice in the activities
  •  There is less to pay when you’re on holiday, as you’ve paid more in advance. (We even have a drinks supplement so that you can pay for that ahead of time as well, if you wish)
  • Some Value Adds are included in the Full Board and Activity rate, such as the complimentary use of E-Bikes and ad hoc yoga classes
  • We take care of your stay. You don’t have to research what there is to do in the area. Simply select which planned activities you feel like doing each day. Fewer decisions makes for more down-time
  • The extra cost of booking Full Board and Activities is much less if you stay for 3 or 4 nights. Our long stay offers are 50% off your 3rd night's stay or stay 4 nights but only pay for 3 nights
Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - firepit

Linger a little longer

The lodge is an inviting place to relax and unwind. The Cederberg beckons to be explored and the views are an allure to stay and breathe for a while. That’s why we encourage longer stays of 3 nights or more.

Though we have enough activities to entertain guests for 4 night stays or longer, we will gladly swap out a morning or afternoon activity for a 30 minute treatment in the spa.

Valid for stays of 3+ nights only. 

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - spa

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Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - walking

Cederberg

Cederberg Ridge

Why Choose Full Board and Activities

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We compare the Cederberg to the rest of the Western Cape during winter, sharing the top reasons to visit this wilderness in the cooler months of the year.

Cederberg mountains

IT'S WARMER

Daytime temperatures are typically 5°C warmer than Cape Town with a sunny Cederberg winter’s day averaging at around 21°C-23°C.
Cederberg's winter is much shorter than elsewhere in the Cape, typically spanning from mid/late May and ending in early August.

IT'S DRIER

Cederberg rains do fall in the winter but its classified as a semi-arid area, with only 180mm of rain per year. The region gets only one third of the amount of rain Cape does Town, at most.

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - romantic dining

IT'S GORGEOUSLY GREEN

Winter in the Cederberg is beautiful and green. It's described as a rejuvenating time of the year, where the landscapes seems to flourish. Colours change from browns to vibrant greens, the flowers bloom, and crisp air adds to the refreshing sense that winter brings.

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge owner, Kate Bergh says, "The jagged sandstone rock formations of the Cederberg, with their burnt orange colour, are even more striking at this time of the year surrounded by the vibrant veld. It is quite simply, a beautiful place to visit."

ACTIVE DAYS

During a Cederberg winter your days are not ruled by the hot African sun and its limitations on your schedule. The milder, temperate climate means time can be spent comfortably exploring the great outdoors.

Savour a lie in followed by a leisurely breakfast and then head out for a long walk. Alternatively, you can enjoy an excursion in the morning and a bike ride in the afternoon sun.

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - rock art

KEEPING COSY

Early mornings are cold, but Simbavati Cederberg Ridge is a lodge built to withstand both the summer heat and the winter morning cold. Underfloor heating and log-burning fireplaces make the suites very cosy. The main lodge also has a fireplace in the library, dining room and sitting room, for when it is a little chilly.

Simbavati Cederberg Ridge - exterior

FLOWERS & FYNBOS

Cederberg celebrates an early spring, compared to the rest of the Cape. Depending on the rains, the spring flowers bloom from late July to September, along with the early flowering fynbos.

There is a magic in experiencing the spring flower spectacle while the rest of the country is still in winter-mode.

Wild spring flowers in Biedouw valley, Cederberg mountains

An escape to Simbavati Cederberg Ridge and the rugged splendour of Cederberg's wilderness is always a good idea, but is especially appealing in wintertime.

Explore more about Simbavati Cederberg Ridge and contact us to book your stay.

Find further reasons why the Cederberg winter is idyllic, here.

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Cederberg

Cederberg Ridge

Experiences

The Joys of the Cederberg inWinter

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Childhood memories lead to the greatest inspiration

"South African cuisine is all about heart and home,” says Simbavati Group Executive Chef, Garth Davids, whose passion is creating good honest food in a farm to table style.

He shared a favourite personal recipe with us, representing his journey from humble beginnings as a young boy growing up in the Cape Town suburb of Mitchell’s Plain, to the Chef he is today.

What did Chef Garth’s childhood taste like?

Chicken liver, a staple dish in his mother’s household, was usually served with a “smoortjie” – a sauce prepared with sauteed onion and tomato or sometimes mayonnaise. Toffee apples were also a much-loved treat in his neighbourhood and were usually enjoyed with his friends on the walk home from a cricket match. Finally, he fondly recalls the basket of fruit, always available on the kitchen counter and the scent of the fruit that greeted him when he returned home. 

Chef Garth chose to combine these ingredients to bring these childhood memories to life through this recipe.

RECIPE

Chicken liver and brandy Parfait, burnt apple served on toasted brioche, truffle onion puree, mixed berry coulis and toffee apple

Preparation:

Ingredients For the chicken liver parfait:

250g chicken livers (deveined and cleaned)

15ml olive oil

80g finely chopped onion

80g chopped apples

5g rosemary

5g garlic

50ml brandy

200g soft butter

Method:

  • Add olive oil to pan along with the onions, garlic and rosemary
  • Sauté until onions are translucent, then add in the chopped apples and cook for 10 mins
  •  Add the brandy and allow alcohol to evaporate
  •  Remove mixture from heat and set aside.
  • In a separate pan heat up oil until pan is nice and hot slightly smoking, then add your chicken livers and cook until medium rare not all the way through
  • Remove from heat and add to apple and onion mixture
  • Place mixture into a blender on medium speed and slowly add the soft butter. bit by bit, until all the butter is incorporated
  • Once the butter is incorporated, remove from blender and strain through a sieve
  • Line a container with cling wrap and pour strained mixture into container and allow to set in fridge for about 4 to 8 hours

Ingredients for the onion puree:

2 white onions sliced

¼ teaspoon truffle oil

5g garlic

5g thyme finely chopped

50ml fresh cream

30ml olive oil

Method:

  • Place all ingredients into a pot and cook very slowly until onions are soft and caramelized
  • Once mixture is ready, blend until smooth and add in the truffle oil
  • Place into a squeegee bottle.

Ingredients for the baby toffee apples

1 can baby apples (Liberty or Goldcrest brand)

200g white sugar

50g glucose

50 ml water

Method:

  • Add sugar, glucose and water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, once mixture is boiling turn the heat low and cook very slowly
  •  Do not stir sugar with a spoon, Rather gently swivel the pan around or side to side to keep mixture from burning
  • Heat the sugar to hard crack stage (156 degrees Celsius)
  • Once sugar reaches temperature, remove from heat, take skewer sticks and pierce them into the apples
  •  Dip each apple, one by one, until each apple is fully coated
  •  Leave apples to harden

Ingredients for mixed berry coulis:

2 cups frozen mixed berries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

5g cornstarch

Method:

  • Place berries, water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil until sugar is dissolved
  •  Add cornstarch and cook for 10 mins until mixture thickens and cornstarch is completely cooked out
  • Place mixture in a blender and blend until smooth
  •  Pass mixture through a sieve to remove berry seeds,  then place in a squeegee bottle 

Ingredients for the burnt apple:

1 whole apple peeled and sliced into wedges

Method:

  • Place sliced apples into a tray and blow torch until apples are charred. 
  • If you do not have a blow torch you can hold them over an open gas flame to give them a charred colour. 

To Assemble:

Slice store bought brioche bread and toast until golden brown.

Place in the center of the plate, quenelle the chicken liver pate’ and place on top of brioche.

Pipe four small dots of onion puree on and around the brioche, place the burnt apple and toffee apple on either side of the parfait.  Place small dots of berry coulis around the brioche and lastly garnish with fennel shoots.

Let us do the cooking

If you’d prefer Chef Garth to cook for you, performing some of his culinary mastery, stay with us at Simbavati Cederberg Ridge where the food offering is as memorable as the setting. 

Explore Simbavati Cederberg Ridge.

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Cederberg

Cederberg Ridge

Experiences

A Recipe to Remember

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