How to make Hibiscus Tea + its Benefits
on Feb 21, 2018, Updated May 24, 2023
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Learn how to make hibiscus tea which has some amazing benefits. Make this with either fresh or dried flowers and choose to have it as a hot cup of tea or as hibiscus iced tea because either way it’s delicious and really good for you!
We have a pretty big hibiscus tree in our new garden and everyday we get a few hibiscus flowers. Combined with the hibiscus in our neighbor’s garden there is a LOT of hibiscus. Not complaining because it makes the most delicious hibiscus tea.
I ended up posting how to make hibiscus tea on Instagram stories yesterday and the response was incredible. So many people suggested other ways to use hibiscus which is edible and has a variety of health benefits.
So obviously, I had to write down everything I’ve found out about this superfood and share it with you.
My favorite part of brewing a pot of hibiscus tea at home is the color of course. It has a gorgeous deep pink hue that’s hard to beat. And so perfect right now because afternoons here are getting warmer and a chilled glass of this is super welcome.
We have an amma who comes to help us and she’s the one who got started us on this. She saw us collecting a bowl of the flowers and was so excited to show us what we could do with it. So far we’ve made a fabulous hibiscus hair mask which works as a conditioner and this tea. She prefers it hot with honey and a squirt of lime juice but I’m all about the hibiscus iced tea. I mean who can resist when it looks like this?
What is Hibiscus?
Hibiscus is a flowering plant found in parts of the world with warm and tropical climates. These plants are known for their colourful and large flowers. In fact, there are so many species of Hibiscus, the flowers come in all shapes, sizes and colours.
It grows beautifully in India because of our climate. While most commonly used as a decorative element, these flowers also offer culinary and medicinal uses.
There are far too many species of the Hibiscus plant, the most popular variety however is Hibiscus sabdariffa which is what we use. These come in plenty of colours such as white, yellow, pink, orange, red etc. The pink and red coloured flowers are most commonly used for culinary purposes.
What parts of the hibiscus are edible?
We recommend you only eat the petals. The stamen (includes anther and filament), calyx (the green base attached to the stem), the pistil (includes the stigma, style and ovary) and the pollen are discarded and not used for cooking. Some authors do suggest the pistil can be used as it is edible.
Benefits of including Hibiscus Tea in your Diet
The hibiscus plant is known to have a number of medicinal properties making it a safe and healthy addition to your everyday routine. Like all herbal teas, this quick and easy to make Hibiscus tea also offers a wide range of benefits:
- Lowers blood pressure – reduces risk of heart disease
- Super rich in antioxidants – helps protect your cells and prevents damage from free radicals
- Immunity booster – stimulates T cells and B cells
- Lowers cholesterol – hibiscus tea helps reduce blood fat levels
- Helps with period pains – also decreases hormonal imbalance
- Removes toxins from body – improves liver functions
But it can also have some side effects.
Side Effects of Hibiscus Tea
Hibiscus Tea can affect oestrogen levels which means that it has an effect of both pregnancy and fertility. If you are trying to become pregnant or are pregnant, you should probably avoid hibiscus in your diet. It also lowers blood pressure which can be harmful if you already suffer from low blood pressure.
With anything that has medicinal properties, its really important to see if it works for you. Something that I’m slowly learning while we live here in Auroville. We eat a lot of healthy, local ingredients now and people around us are happy to tell us more about them.
Don’t be afraid to try this out because it’s incredibly easy to make and you can make it with both fresh or dried flowers. If you don’t have access to fresh one, dried hibiscus flowers are easily available online.
Love Tea? Try Out These Recipes:
How to make Hibiscus Tea + its Benefits
Ingredients
- 2 cups Fresh Hibiscus Flowers, or 1/2 cup dried Hibiscus Flowers
- 8 cups Water
- 1/4 cup Honey, add more if you like your tea sweeter
- 3 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
Instructions
- If using fresh hibiscus flowers, remove the calyx or the green part at the base of the flower to which the stem is attached. You can also remove the pistil which is the thin thread like tube in the middle of the flower which has pollens attached to it or you can choose to keep it. You don't need to do this if you are using dried flowers.
- Bring the hibiscus flowers and water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water starts boiling, switch off the flame and cover the vessel. At this point, you can also add other herbs or add ins such as basil, lemon grass, lemon zest etc. Let the tea steep for 15-20 minutes. Mix in the honey and lime juice till completely combined. Strain the tea.
- You can either serve hibiscus tea warm or you can chill it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Either way it tastes delicious!
Notes
- Add Ins: You can add some of your favorite flavors to this tea. Basil, lemon grass, lemon zest and mint all taste really nice with hibiscus
- Sweetness: We prefer our tea moderately sweet but feel free to add more honey or even replace it with sugar if you like
- Do not steep the petals for too long as this will make it bitter tasting.
- Honey can be substituted with sugar or jaggery.
- Tea can be served hot or cold depending on your preference
Nutrition
Can you take the flowers that died over nite and dry them out and store them in a container
Sure!
I also make my tea as I would do sun tea and avoid the kitchen. It tastes equally delicious and easier to convert in to ice tea, which is my favorite.
I just found out about this tea being helpful for lowering HB. I put about a 1/2 cup of the dried flowers in 2 quarts of cold water, then placed in the fridge over night to brew. Today I put ice in a glass and added the tea It tastes great. My friend suggested adding some unflavored sparkling water to it too but don’t think I will as I really like it without adding anything. ( Has anyone else brewed it like this without adding any sugars,herbs ext???)
Am an Hbp, I get confused sometimes, should I drink cold or warm? Plz educate me
Absolutely that’s the only way we drink it
A very interesting reaction happened when I added lime juice. My tea was not a pretty color until I added lime and then it transformed into a soft pink. Sort of neat. I have very red flowers but my drink is not as rich in color as yours. Does it make a difference if they are dried or fresh? I used dried. Thank you for your recipe.
Hey Jill, that lime juice is a game changer. And yes, fresh flowers tend to have a more vibrant colour compared to dried flowers.
Hey, Richa
I’m a huge fan of myfoodstory.com. Very much love your blog. I just wanted to reach out because I’ve really been enjoying your posts. In fact, I am a coffee and tea lover, and i have many teawares and teas collections.
I know you’re busy, so I won’t waste your time. I’m reaching out because I have an idea share to you. I am the owner of Umi Tea Sets LTD. I am Chinese, I saw your blog has wrote this article about many coffee ..I really enjoy them.
Do you know about yixing teapot, yixing teapot is the best clay in China and most tea lover use it to brew tea. I have many collections of it, can I sent you one of my beautiful yixing teapot as gift? It is handmade. Also I will sent you some our best Chinese tea to you, you can use the yixing teapot to brew this tea, it is wonderful. Hope you will like them and hope can become friend. Can you accept my first gift to you?
What’s more, i am an English SEOer, which I can provide many tips for you blog, it can improve your website to get high ranking and more visitors in shorten time, I can write the tips for you if you want.
Thanks for your time and consideration! I can’t wait to hear back from you.
Hey, Richa
I’m a huge fan of myfoodstory.com. Very much love your blog. I just wanted to reach out because I’ve really been enjoying your posts. In fact, I am a coffee and tea lover, and i have many teawares and teas collections.
I know you’re busy, so I won’t waste your time. I’m reaching out because I have an idea share to you. I am the owner of Umi Tea Sets LTD. I am Chinese, I saw your blog has wrote this article about many coffee ..I really enjoy them.
Do you know about yixing teapot, yixing teapot is the best clay in China and most tea lover use it to brew tea. I have many collections of it, can I sent you one of my beautiful yixing teapot as gift? It is handmade. Also I will sent you some our best Chinese tea to you, you can use the yixing teapot to brew this tea, it is wonderful. Hope you will like them and hope can become friend. Can you accept my first gift to you?
What’s more, i am an English SEOer, which I can provide many tips for you blog, it can improve your website to get high ranking and more visitors in shorten time, I can write the tips for you if you want.
Thanks for your time and consideration! I can’t wait to hear back from you.
Cheers,
Umi Tea Sets
I know hibiscus tea in my village (Ethiopia)we use it for holyday and for different ceremony, to drink with sugar and use hot tea, I thank you for more information about it.
I have Pink & Hawaiian Sunset Hibiscus in my front yard. They’re both good for tea. There’s a company in Hawaii that sells tea online. It’s the Sunset variety with dries pineapple and coconut. I will be trying this at home. I also like what a local Mexican restaurant calls Arnesto Palma: unsweetened hibiscus tea with limeade.
Wow! Thats great Kevin – thanks for sharing. I’m sure it’ll help other readers who want to use different varieties of Hibiscus
One more thing. Can I use other hibiscus flowers such as the purple or yellow ones? Thanks again.
I’ve never tried it with anything but the red flowers so can’t be sure of the results Olivia.
All hibiscus flowers are edible, but if you want the best benefits, you want the type that’s called ‘roselle’. That’s the one that makes the deep red tea, and it’s the calyxes that are used.
Hi! I love this recipe, I’m going to try this tomorrow morning. Btw we dont have lime stock in the house, is calamansi okay as an alternative?
Yes that should work! Did you try it with calamansi?
The first time I heard of hibiscus tea, very special, its taste was very different. Thank you for letting me know a new tea recipe