Apple Ginger Rooibos Tea Recipe (Hot or Iced)

boutique hotel on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront — and was immediately handed a cup of something warm, lightly sweet, and completely unlike any tea I’d had before. That was rooibos, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

The tea is called “Refreshingly, Cape Grace” and it’s the first sip you take when you walk through the hotel’s doors — a deliberate welcome and a very fitting introduction to one of South Africa’s most beloved ingredients. The combination of earthy rooibos, sweet apple juice, and a gentle heat from the ginger is almost dessert-like in the best possible way. It’s soothing, fragrant, and impossible to stop drinking.

I asked for the recipe before I left, and I’ve been making it at home ever since. In the cooler months I drink it piping hot with a little vanilla sugar. In summer I pour it over ice and it becomes one of the most refreshing drinks imaginable.

What Is Rooibos Tea?

If you haven’t encountered rooibos before, it’s a naturally caffeine-free herbal tea made from the leaves of the rooibos plant, which grows exclusively in the Cederberg mountain region of the Western Cape in South Africa — about two hours north of Cape Town. The name means “red bush” in Afrikaans, which describes the plant’s distinctive red-brown color after it’s been oxidized and dried.

Rooibos has a naturally sweet, slightly nutty, earthy flavor that is unlike any other tea. Because it contains no caffeine and has a naturally low tannin content, it doesn’t have the astringent bitterness you can sometimes get from black or green tea. It’s incredibly smooth, which makes it wonderful with just a touch of sweetener and no milk required.

In South Africa, rooibos is completely everyday — mothers brew it for babies, it’s drunk at breakfast, and it’s served in hotels and restaurants as a point of local pride. Outside of South Africa it’s become increasingly available in the herbal tea section of most grocery stores and on Amazon.

Ingredient Notes

Rooibos tea bags: Use plain, unflavored rooibos for this recipe — you’re adding your own flavors with the apple and ginger, so a plain base works best. Most grocery stores carry it in the herbal tea aisle, and it’s also widely available online.

Apple juice: The original Cape Grace recipe uses apple juice rather than fresh-sliced apple, which gives the tea a smooth, naturally sweet flavor without any fruit pieces to strain. Use a good quality, clear apple juice — not cloudy or pressed, which would change the flavor profile. Fresh-squeezed works beautifully if you have it.

Fresh ginger: A small piece of fresh ginger steeped with the tea adds a gentle warmth that elevates the whole drink without overpowering the other flavors. Peel it and slice it into a few coins before adding to the teapot. If you only have ground ginger, use a small pinch — but fresh is noticeably better here.

Vanilla sugar: This is the sweetener used in the original Cape Grace recipe and it’s worth tracking down or making yourself. It adds a floral, fragrant sweetness that plain sugar doesn’t. To make your own, simply store a vanilla bean in a jar of sugar for a week. If you don’t have it, a small drizzle of honey is a lovely substitute and adds its own subtle floral note.

How To Make This Rooibos Tea Recipe

This comes together in under 10 minutes and the method is beautifully simple. Boil fresh water and add your rooibos tea bags and sliced fresh ginger to a teapot. Steep for 4 to 7 minutes — rooibos doesn’t go bitter the way black tea can, so you can steep on the longer end for a deeper, more robust flavor. Remove the tea bags and ginger, then stir in the apple juice. Sweeten to taste with vanilla sugar or honey and serve immediately.

The ratio of tea to apple juice is flexible — the Cape Grace recipe uses equal parts, but you can adjust to your preference. More tea gives you a deeper, earthier cup. More apple juice makes it sweeter and lighter.

Variations

Swap the sweetener: Honey adds a floral note that works beautifully with the apple. Maple syrup adds warmth and depth for a more autumnal version. For an unsweetened version, the natural sweetness of the apple juice is often enough on its own.

Add cinnamon: A cinnamon stick steeped alongside the ginger adds warmth and spice that makes the hot version feel particularly cozy in fall and winter.

Make it a latte: Steep the tea more concentrated than usual, then top with warm frothed oat milk or regular milk for a rooibos tea latte. The apple juice sweetens it naturally so you need very little additional sweetener.

Add citrus: A squeeze of fresh orange or lemon juice added just before serving brightens the whole drink and adds a slight tartness that balances the sweetness beautifully.

This rooibos tea recipe is called, ‘Refreshingly, Cape Grace’ as it is the first sip you take when you walk into the Cape Grace hotel after a long flight to get to Cape Town.  Enjoy!