Hibiscus Tea also is known as Karkade Tea or Jamaica Tea is a refreshing and super healthy beverage made using Hibiscus Flowers. This agua fresca is considered a superfood and when drank in a moderate amount has amazing benefits to the body. Here is how to make it.
If you are a tea lover like me, do try my Masala Chai, Adrak wali Chai, Mango Iced Tea, or Indian Ginger Tea with Milk.
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About This Recipe
Hibiscus tea is also known as Agua de Jamaica, Jamaica Drink, or Jamaica Tea. It is made from fresh or dried hibiscus flowers and is a gorgeous deep red in color and has a sour tart taste like cranberries.
Slightly sweet and refreshing, it is a perfect beverage to have in summer, monsoon or a winter day.
It can be consumed hot or cold, sweetened with sugar or honey.
Although commonly called tea, it’s actually a tisane – a beverage made from steeping dried flowers, leaves, or other parts of a plant in boiling water.
It is one of the popular beverages in the world and is known for its medicinal uses.
This tea is easily available in the market, and if you can get on your hands on hibiscus flowers, you can even make it at home.
Here are some more Tea recipes, for your evening tea break – Lemon Tea, Strawberry Tea, Turmeric Ginger Tea, Kashmiri Tea Kahwa, Herbal Saffron Tea, and Apple Iced Tea.
Health Benefits
Hibiscus flower tea is known for its many health benefits. It’s known to be good for people with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
It is good for your digestive and immune systems.
This tea brings down the sugar level and helps in controlling the blood sugar level of the body.
There are studies showing that this tea is also helpful in weight loss.
Hibiscus flower is rich in vitamin C, minerals, and antioxidants and is helpful in the treatment of hypertension and anxiety.
It is also known to have anti-cancer properties.
Given the number of Hibiscus Tea Benefits, you should try this easy recipe out.
Side Effects
Although this tea has many health benefits, it is known to have some side-effects.
A high dosage of this tea can cause damage to your liver.
It is advisable that people with high blood pressure and high blood sugar level should regularly check their blood pressure and sugar level if consuming hibiscus tea, as it may decrease blood sugar and pressure level.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should also avoid this tea as it affects the estrogen level of the body.
If you are on any birth control pills or on any kind of hormonal treatment, please avoid taking this tea.
Hibiscus Tea Hallucination is a rare side effect caused by excess consumption of this tea.
Step by Step Recipe
Remove the calyx or the green part from which the flower is attached to the plant. Also remove the stamen, the part from which the seeds are attached. Wash the petals well and add them in a pot.
Boil the water and once it comes to a boil, pour it over the petals.
Cover the pot and let the colour from the flowers steep into the water.
Steep for 10-12 minutes.
Strain the tea.
Add lemon juice in it and mix well.
Frequently Asked Questions
To make Jamaica Tea recipe from the fresh flowers, remove the calyx or the green part from which the flower is attached to the plant.
Also remove the stamen, the part from which the seeds are attached. Remove petals and wash them properly to get rid of any dirt. Then steep the petals in hot water. Add lemon juice and honey at the end.
Hibiscus comes in approx 40 varieties but mostly red hibiscus is used to make tea recipe for their nutritional benefits.
All hibiscus are edible but try to use Hibiscus Sadbariffa or Roselle to make this tea for the best result.
I used the red hibiscus that we get in India.
To make this tea from the dried flowers, check for stems in dried flowers and discard.
There are two ways you can make tea.
You can add dried hibiscus flowers to cold water and allow to rest for 1-2 days until the flowers have faded.
Then you can strain the mix and make cold tea by adding sugar or honey.
You can also add dried flowers to boiling water and let them bleed all the color.
Now strain the mix and add cold water, sugar, or honey and your hibiscus cold tea is ready. This is an instant way of making this tea.
Note: hibiscus leaves stains, so keep this in mind when you are preparing this tea.
If you live in the US, you can source the dried hibiscus flower online from here and if you live in India, from here.
Most Mexican stores also carry these dried flowers. So check the Spanish section of the supermarket.
If you have a hibiscus bush in your garden as I do, you can dry the flowers and store them to use later to make hibiscus flower tea.
To dry the flowers, remove the stem and stamen. Keep the calyx intact.
Line the flowers on a kitchen towel and cover with a muslin cloth. Keep the towel in a shaded area for 1-2 days until the petals dry out and turn crisp.
Store the dried flowers in a glass jar. Refrigerate for up to a month.
You can also use a dehydrator or an oven at a very low temperature to dry the flowers. You can also buy the Hibiscus flower from the grocery store.
Hibiscus flower tea should be avoided during pregnancy.
Since this tea is known to alter the estrogen hormone in the body, it is advisable to not consume it while pregnancy.
It is always advisable that you consult your doctor before having any herbal teas in pregnancy.
Hibiscus tea is known to stain teeth if consumed regularly and in high quantity, over time.
Like any other herbal teas, you shouldn’t take this tea in excess too. 1-2 cups of tea per day are good enough.
Do not go overboard since this tea has some side effects as well and can harm you instead of benefits if taken in too much quantity.
So while I love my masala chai; I like have a black tea with lime juice or this Hibiscus flower based tea occasionally and soak in the benefits of hibiscus flower.
Serving Suggestions
You can either serve this tea hot or you can add a lot of ice in a glass and pour this over the ice and serve chilled. Either way, it tastes delicious.
You can also choose to add honey or stevia or any other sweetener to this tea.
I like to add some mint leaves, few lemon slices and a whole hibiscus flower in the serving glasses to make it look even more beautiful.
To serve it to kids, make popsicles of this tea. They will just love it.
Variations
You can make this tea long with dried rise flowers, any berry that you prefer like fresh strawberry, raspberry etc or with some lavender flowers.
You can also add some cinnamon, orange blossom water, lemon grass or pomegranate juice in it.
For sweetening this tea, you can use stevia in place of honey or sugar.
Try adding some sparkling water once the tea is brewed.
Recipe Card
Hibiscus Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Hibiscus Flowers
- 3 cups Water
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Honey (As per taste)
Instructions
- Remove the calyx or the green part from which the flower is attached to the plant.
- Also remove the stamen, the part from which the seeds are attached.
- Wash the petals well and add them in a pot.
- Boil the water and once it comes to a boil, pour it over the petals.
- Cover the pot and let the colour from the flowers steep into the water.
- Steep for 10-12 minutes.
- Strain the tea.
- Add lemon juice in it and mix well.
- You can add honey if you wish to.
- Add ice cubes in a glass and pour the tea over.
- Serve chilled.
Roy Bader
What hibiscus species is the one used in your recipe?
There is just so many and I was curious.
Neha Mathur
As mentioned in the post, I used the Indian Red Hibiscus. Not all varieties are edible.
Tammy Pile
How can you tell if a hibiscus is edible or not
Neha Mathur
That’s a tricky one Tammy. You will have to ask your local flower nursery for that.