Rooibos Production and Processing
Flavour Goodness
All our products are produced according to international food safety regulations, with a special focus on flavour and taste, and regularly tested by our internal Quality and Product Development team.
Carmién natural rooibos has a delicate balance of sweetness on the nose, slight astringency and a full, smooth mouthfeel with a fruity caramel taste. Green rooibos is slightly more astringent with some caramel notes and a smooth mouthfeel.
Planting
Rooibos seeds are sown between February and March and the seedlings are transplanted a few months later. It takes about 18 months before plants can be harvested.
Harvesting
The rooibos crop is harvested once a year during summer and early autumn (between January - April) by cutting branches 50 cm above the ground. Branches are cut and bound into sheaves and transported to the drying yard.
Cutting
Sheaves are machine-cut to uniform lengths of between 1.5mm and 5mm. Cuttings are then bruised to facilitate the natural plant phenolic activities which develop the characteristic colour and flavour of rooibos tea.
Fermentation
After watering and airing, cut and bruised green rooibos is laid out in heaps for 10-14 hours, allowing natural enzymes to oxidize and ferment the plant, giving it its deep amber colour and distinctive aroma.
Green Rooibos
A portion of the harvest is set aside before fermentation. Green rooibos does not undergo the same bruising and fermentation process as rooibos and is therefore higher in anti-oxidants and has a green flavour with caramel notes.
Drying
After fermentation, rooibos is dried under the African sun before being sorted and graded according to length, colour, flavour, aroma, and density. The dried Rooibos is then packed in bulk bags, labelled and temporarily stored before further processing.
Raw Dried Tea Grading
A trained grading team inspects and evaluates the rooibos tea, taking note of the cut size, leaf length, leaf colour, extract appearance, extract aroma, and extract flavour.
Sensory Testing and Inspection Procedure
1
Place 12g dried tea sample on petri dish
2
Visual inspection under sunlight
3
Transfer 2.5g to a brewing cup
4
Add 150ml water and steep for 5 minutes
5
Inspect extract on fluorescent cabinet
6
Taste immediately at 65°C
Evaluating the appearance of dried tea leaves
- Cut size
- Length of leaves
- Ideal colour of leaves (glossy appearance)
- Deep reddish/brown colour
Evaluating the appearance of the tea extract
- The colour of the extract must be clear and a rich red colour with an orange-tinted edge (halo)
- If the tea leaves are not fully fermented, the colour will be a light yellow-orange
Evaluating The Taste and Aroma of The Tea Extract
- The ideal taste has the typical characteristics of rooibos eg. woody, fynbos, floral, honeylike with a hint of sweetness.
- The team uses the criteria on the Rooibos Aroma Wheel and Sensory Lexicon.
Rooibos Aroma Wheel
Sifting and Sterilisation
Hopper Magnet
The raw rooibos tea is added to the hopper before sifting and travels over a 3,500-gauss magnet to remove any ferrous-metal contaminants that may be present from harvesting.
Rolling
Sieve
The rooibos blend passes through a drum-shaped machine covered with a specially-made mesh that removes unwanted sticks, stems, and large twigs.
Vibrating Sieve
A vibrational machine filters out rooibos and a fine round of powder is removed in this stage.
Maxi
Sieve
This is where high-quality, tea cut lengths and sizes are sorted. During this stage, a superior grade of cuts are sifted out. Bulk bags capture the various cuts sifted through designated channels.
Indent
Sieve
During this stage, sharp, needle-shaped cuts are removed from the superior grade cuts sifted by the Maxi Sieve. This stage is crucial to remove needles that could poke through teabags, and ensures a pleasant tea experience.
Storage
After sifting, the processed rooibos is placed in temporary storage, where it is kept in optimal conditions until an order is placed.
Blending Silo
Raw material is blended in silos equipped with augers according to strict guidelines to meet customer requirements.
Pasteurisation
Rooibos is exposed to steam with a temperature of 160°C for 90 seconds. After pasteurisation, the tea is dried with hot air to ensure moisture content is below 10%.
Magnet - Metal Removal
The tea then passes over 3,500-gauss and 10,000-gauss magnets to ensure all metal contaminants are removed before packing.
Lab Analysis
Analytical tests are conducted at our in-house laboratory and at ISO 17025:2017 accredited external laboratories. Pesticide residue screening and microbial analysis are done on each finished batch. PPECB draws a finished batch sample and runs an independent analysis. Once a batch is approved, a Certificate of Analysis (COA) will be issued combining all results, and PPECB will issue an Export Licence.
Packing and Shipping
We then pack your tea and ship it to your desired location worldwide. Processed tea can be packed in various formats, such as 18kg kraft paper bags or custom retail packs.
Storage
Rooibos can be stored in the right conditions for many years. Our standard Best Before Date for natural rooibos is 4 years. The ideal conditions for the product to be stored in is a dry, room-temperature environment with no exposure to moisture or humidity.