Known for its red velvety colour, hibiscus tea can be enjoyed in several ways.
Whether it's early in the morning to kickstart your day or as a cold refreshment on a hot day or before bed, you can never go wrong with this natural detox and drink.
The flower comes from the mallow plant family that typically grows in the tropical and subtropical parts of the world.
OTI Dried Hibiscus Flowers are vitamin-filled
There are several hundred species of hibiscus varying by the location and climate they grow in. However, Hibiscus sabdariffa is most commonly used to make hibiscus tea.
It has a number of benefits due to its powerful antioxidant content that may help prevent damage and disease caused by the buildup of free radicals.
Several studies have found that hibiscus tea may lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
It also aids in weight loss and helps keep the liver healthy.
We want you to enjoy all the incredible benefits of drinking hibiscus tea, hence, here are five delicious recipes for you.
Sobolo (Zobo / Bissap) Recipe
This recipe is popular in West African countries as a refreshment for events. It is almost like the red wine of events in those parts.
What you need: Juice from blended ginger | Honey (Or any healthy sweetener).
Rinse your hibiscus flowers and bring them to boil in a pot with your desired quantity of water.
Leave to boil over high heat for approximately 30 minutes to get the colour out of the flowers as much as possible.
Strain the coloured liquid after taking it off to cool. Mix with honey/sweetener refrigerate and serve cold for best taste.
NB: You can add some pineapple essence for aroma and taste or fresh fruits.
Iced Hibiscus Tea Recipe
Brewing cold tea takes a really long time. You’d need to let it sit overnight to extract the full flavour of the tea. Since you cannot always plan that far in advance here’s what you can do.
You need 1/4 cup of water| 2 Tsp of crushed dried hibiscus| A lot of ice (I’ll usually use half an ice cube tray per cup).
Boil the water and pour it over your hibiscus flowers and let them steep for a minimum of 5 minutes. This gives the flowers enough time to bleed their bright red colour into your hot water.
Strain out the flowers and mix in 1/2 to 1 tsp of honey before adding your ice to prevent the honey from hardening.
Hibiscus Sangria
This cold drink can be made overnight with a few delicious additions. You’d love to have a nice jar of it in your fridge for the hot days.
This is a perfect alcohol-free substitute for your get-togethers.
To start with, add 5 tsp crushed hibiscus petals and a few mint leaves to the jar and pour 3 cups of hot water over the tea and allow it to steep for 5 minutes.
After allowing to steep for a while, add 1 cup of mixed fresh or frozen berries. Fill up the rest of the pitcher with cold water and place it in the fridge overnight.
When you’re ready to serve the drink, take out the tea and mix in the desired quantity of honey to taste.
Warm Tea Recipe
Nothing beats a warm and soothing tea on cold nights. This is probably the simplest hibiscus tea recipe.
Just boil water and pour it over 2 tsp of dried hibiscus flowers.
Based on your preference, allow it to steep till you get the desired colour of your tea.
After 5 to 10 minutes, it will have a thick velvety texture and a dark, rich colour. Keep it warm by covering it.
Mix with 1/2 tsp of honey to taste.
Black Hibiscus Tea
If you want to add a boost of energy to your tea, this recipe is for you.
Instead of using 2 tsp of crushed hibiscus, switch out 1 tsp for black tea. Brew it as you would your tea and add 1/2 tsp of honey to taste.
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