Tea: Red Alert on Aisle Six

Choosing between black, white and green teas has always been a bit confusing--but now you'll be seeing red. Red tea, that is. The South African import is gaining popularity in the United States, thanks to new launches from Snapple and Honest Tea (which debuts its blend this spring). They both follow a hit Top Shelf Foods line from 2005. "It's exciting to see it gain broader acceptance," says Honest Tea CEO Seth Goldman. But while green tea prided itself on its antioxidant qualities--eventually appearing in toothpaste and shampoo--red tea's biggest selling point is its sweeter taste.

The "green" party counters that red tea isn't even a real tea--it's brewed from fermented rooibos , an herb unrelated to the plant from which traditional teas originate. "Red tea has no relation to traditional tea other than that it looks like it," says Joe Simrany, president of the Tea Association of the USA. There's more. The Chinese sometimes refer to black tea as red tea, and when unfermented rooibos is brewed, it's called green tea.

On which side of this heated rivalry should you fall? Red tea is caffeine-free and less bitter. Maybe your other tea should pack its bags.