Types of Tea consumed in Africa
Africa is home to a variety of teas, due to the differences in climate and soil. African tea is quite unique, and strong not to mention delicious. From herbal teas to black, green, white, oolong and fermented teas, Africa is a proud producer of sought out teas. Some teas worth mentioning are Kenyan black tea, Ethiopian tea, Rwandan tea, Kenyan purple tea, red and green Rooibos, and honey bush tea.
Kenyan black tea is the main choice from the African teas. Most of this is prepared in the CTC (crush-tearcurl) basis. Kenyans prepare their tea by adding milk and sugar. Kenyan purple tea is actually a result of a research done by the tea research institution of Kenya. It's simply a black tea, however contains large amounts of anthocyanin, which is the pigment that gives color to fruits and vegetables, hence “purple” tea.
Rwanda produces green, black and white tea; Ethiopia is well known for their spiced tea. Rooibos is an herbal “tea” produced in South Africa which is not Camellia sinensis but an herb of the Fabaceae family. Honey Bush is its cousin, having the same family and order.
Most North African countries enjoy mint tea. Some have become creative, and added other ingredients such as pine nuts to their tea.