South African Organic Red Rooibos vs High-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea

A caffeine-free red bush against a fully oxidised black tea, for people cutting down.

South African Organic Red RooibosHigh-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea

Measured comparison of South African Organic Red Rooibos and High-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea
	South African Organic Red Rooibos	High-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea
Caffeine	None	50 mg
Serving	8 oz cup	8 oz cup (240ml)
Strength (per 100 ml)	—	20.8 mg
Acidity	Low	Moderate
Category	Leaf	Black
Origin	Cederberg Mountains, South Africa	Assam (India), Ceylon (Sri Lanka) & Kenya
Best for	French press, Teapot & mug	Teapot & mug
Water	100°C	98°C
With milk	Either way	Takes milk well
Tastes of	Honeybush, Vanilla Bean, Toasted Oak	Malted Barley, Rich Oakwood, Dark Molasses

Which one, for what

Worked out from the two records above rather than asserted, so nothing here can contradict the table.

A hard morning startHigh-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea
High-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea carries 50 mg against 0 mg.
Drinking it after sixSouth African Organic Red Rooibos
South African Organic Red Rooibos is caffeine-free, so it will not sit between you and sleep.
A sensitive stomachSouth African Organic Red Rooibos
South African Organic Red Rooibos is low acidity; High-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea is moderate. Acidity is only part of why a drink provokes reflux, but it is the part you can choose.
Taking it with milkHigh-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea
South African Organic Red Rooibos: either way. High-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea: takes milk well.
Something to sit and pay attention toToo close to call
Both score similarly on aroma, so this one comes down to which flavours you prefer.
Making it without special equipmentToo close to call
South African Organic Red Rooibos wants french press; High-Grown English Breakfast Black Tea wants teapot & mug.

sweetnessRed Rooibos noticeably higher

acidityBlack Tea noticeably higher

bitternessBlack Tea noticeably higher

bodyBlack Tea noticeably higher

aromamuch the same

Comparative editorial positions within this catalogue, calibrated so entries can be ranked against one another. Not laboratory measurements.