Hibiscus Iced Tea
I’ve never really put a lot of stock into health-food fads. I find that they come and go a little too often for my taste, and they very rarely deliver on their promises. Recently, however, I saw someone demonstrating making hibiscus tea, and though they mentioned that it was healthy and a great source of antioxidants, they mostly focused on the flavor. It was described as having a flavor like cranberry juice, which happens to be one of my favorite fruit juices, so I figured I’d try it.
You have to start with hibiscus tea flowers. I searched around in my grocery store, and was unable to locate them. I was, however, able to locate them quite easily on Amazon. Once you’ve obtained the tea, you need to steep it in hot water just like any other tea. The original recipe recommended a steeping time of 15 minutes. I personally, found this to be too strong. So I shortened the time to 10 minutes and found that did just the trick.
Since we want to keep the tea at a certain strength and not let it continue to get stronger over time, we need to strain the leaves out. I use a fine-mesh strainer for this. I also like to strain it right into whatever container I’m going to store it in. This helps me save on the dishes. Sadly, the tea leaves are then discarded as their flavor has been used up.
You can sweeten your tea with any sweetener you like, but the recipe that I found originally said to use Agave syrup. I liked the idea of this because I know that this particular tea is quite popular in Mexico where agave is from. Agave also has the added benefit of being a low-glycemic sweetener. When I made the tea the first time, I “measured” the syrup and just did it to my taste. My family was overjoyed with the results, and I made it again with what I thought was the same amount of syrup, 1/2 a cup, and though I thought it was a good sweetness level my family thought it had been sweeter the first time. This is why I have included a range of measurements to the syrup. If you like it sweeter, do the full 3/4 cup, but if you’re like me and you like it a little more bitter just do 1/2.
After steeping and sweetening its time to add in the remaining water. It would be quite strong to drink if you did it with the original amount of water so adding the extra 4 cups is a must. Then refrigerate and serve over ice. This drink has truly become a new favorite of mine and my family. It’s sure to quench your thirst and make you want to keep it in your fridge full time.
Remember you don’t have to be a pro to make magic in your kitchen!
Joe the Blue Wizard
Hibiscus Iced Tea
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups (80 g) Hibiscus Tea Leaves
- 4 Cups (1 L) Hot Water
- 1/2-3/4 Cup (120-180 mL) Agave Syrup
- 4 Cups (1 L) Cold Water
Instructions:
- Steep tea leaves in hot water for 10 minutes.
- Strain the tea into whatever container you will store it in.
- Add and stir in your agave syrup to desired sweetness level.
- Add in cold water and stir.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
