Homemade Hibiscus Tea

If you’re looking for a slightly tart but refreshing treat, you need to be making hibiscus tea at home. I typically make it as iced tea but it’s pretty darned delicious hot, too. If you were to ask me what hibiscus tea tastes like, the best comparison I can give you is cranberry tea. It’s tart for sure, but also crisp and fresh.

I purchase my dried hibiscus flowers in big 1 lb. bags through Amazon and then make tea a big pitcher at a time. A little squeeze of fresh lime juice is a nice addition but more often than not I enjoy mine without any add-ins at all.

Homemade Hibiscus Tea from Dried Hibiscus Flowers Recipe

• 16 cups cold water, 4 cups reserved for boiling then steeping hibiscus blossoms
• 2 cups dried hibiscus flowers

Directions – Makes 4 quarts/1 Gallon

• Place 4 cups of the water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil
• Remove from heat, stir in dried hibiscus flowers, and let steep at least 30 minutes
• While the flowers are steeping, add the remaining cold water to a pitcher
• When the flowers are done steeping, use a fine-mesh strainer and strain into another pan or heat-safe bowl and let cool completely
• Discard hibiscus flowers (great for the compost bin!)
• When cooled, add the hibiscus flower concentrate to the pitcher of water, stir well, and refrigerate
• If desired, serve with slices of lime

It’s easy to make this in smaller batches if you like; just figure 1/2 cup hibiscus flowers to 4 cups of water or 1 cup of hibiscus flowers to 8 cups of water. If you want to make a small batch, a coffee press works great for steeping and straining.

If you prefer a little sweetener in your tea, add a little bit of honey, agave nectar, or sugar. You can also add a few sprigs of fresh basil or mint for some color and added flavor. If you’d like to enjoy an adult hibiscus cocktail, try mixing it with with your favorite liquor. 🙂

I stumbled upon making this tea and after drinking it realized that it seems to have a calming effect, at least for me. I wondered about whether it was possible that it had calming properties so I did a little research and found something even more interesting. Did you know that a study showed that hibiscus tea can actually lower your blood pressure? I think this really shows the power of nature, don’t you?

I will warn you though: this tea will stain just about anything it comes in contact with so be very careful when straining and pouring that you don’t get any on your clothes. I find that most cleaners get it off my counter tops pretty easily; if there’s a stubborn spot Bar Keeper’s Friend finishes the job quickly.

Making hibiscus tea from dried hibiscus flowers is just as easy as making any type of tea but the benefits of hibiscus tea seem to a good reason to enjoy it. I do hope you’ll try it and would love to hear your feedback if you have.

Cheers!