Honeybush Tea

Have you ever heard of honeybush tea? I know many people haven’t and it’s a shame, because it’s so tasty and unique.

I tried two varieties of honeybush tea blends from Adagio Teas: the Honeybush Apricot and Honeybush Hazelnut. They both turned out mild, nutty, and slightly sweet. I like the apricot one better, since it tasted a bit more pure to me, compared to the hazelnut, which fought for dominance with the honeybush.

What is Honeybush Tea?

The honeybush, also known as heuningbos, is a native South African plant. Like rooibos, heuningbos is part of fynbos family, which includes mountainous prickly shrubs or bushes that grow in the Eastern and Western Cape regions of South Africa.

The honeybush grows small, yellow flowers, which gives it its characteristic nectar-sweet scent and taste. The leaves are steeped in water to create a warm, rust-colored caffeine-free herbal infusion with many health benefits.

What Does Honeybush Tea Taste like?

Honeybush tea is naturally caffeine-free and resembles rooibos tea in color and taste. However, while some people say rooibos tastes very medicinal, honeybush on the other hand smells sweet like nectar! Because of the scent, it tastes slightly sweet without adding sugar!

If honeybush tea is not in your repertoire, definitely add it! This is the sweeter, tastier cousin to rooibos, and still contains healthy antioxidants.

Tea Time Recommendations

Honeybush tea is simple to make. I used the Adagio Teas Honeybush Apricot and Honeybush Hazelnut loose leaf teas. Just steep a heaped teaspoon of loose leaf for about 5 minutes, then drain it.

After that, the tea should be a deep orange, rusty color.

Both of these flavors were delicious and easy to make. Check out the video below to see the process.

If loose leaf isn’t your jam, you can also find teabags with pure honeybush, like Numi Organic Honeybush. I would recommend this if you want to get a sense for the taste of honeybush on its own, without added flavors.

Now for my favorite part! Let’s make this tea time a reality by adding a cake pairing. Serve with Pistachio Apricot Cake for the perfect fruity and nutty complement to your tea!