Dan's Hibiscus Tea
 
by me, Dan Metcalf



(read all the way down for a lime flavored version that is lovely!)

Hibiscus tea is a great treat anytime.  It's fragrant, fruity, tangy and 
really 
cheap to make.  Amazingly all these flavors come from a flower.  
Used in cold 
and hot drinks, it's an all year flavor.

I've tried several 
methods for making hibiscus tea in the past, and improvised 
my own several 
times, but eventually this has become my method of the moment.  
It's simple, 
and makes a concentrated form for easier storage in the 
refrigerator.



So here it is, quick and simple...


Equipment:

stain free pot with lid (this stuff can stain!)

second pot, bowl or other stain free heat safe container

strainer, smaller over the pot type works fine too



Ingredients:

4	cups	water

1	small	lemon, juiced

1	cup	sugar

1/2+	cup	dried hibiscus (jamaica) flowers (mounded 1/2 cup is what I use)



Place water in a pot, add sugar and juice of one lemon.  (NO SEEDS - seeds will 

make this very bitter.)  Turn on high heat, cover and bring to a boil for about 

1-2 minutes.



Remove from heat.  Add dried flowers, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes with no 

stirring.



!! Warning: Do not squeeze the last "juice" out of the flowers.  Generally it's 

not nearly as pleasant as the rest of your tea.  If you must, squeeze it into 

another bowl first to make sure it's worth adding.



After 10 minutes strain the tea and let cool.



This is a concentrated form.  You could probably dilute up to 50/50, but I like 

it a little sweeter than that.



Notes on methods:


The tea is tangy enough that it doesn't really need the lemon, but the lemon 

juice is there for another reason.  By boiling the sugar water in the presence 

of the lemon's acid we are making a simple syrup and invert sugar.  This makes 

the sugar sweeter to the palate.  I prefer this syrup method to adding sugar 

later.



If making a hot tea you'd probably want a strong flavor like this, but far 
less 
sugar.  Throwing in some spices would be nice too.



Lime Hibiscus tea:
This is basically the same as above, but replace the lemon with 1 lime.  Also a 
small amount of lime zest thrown in with the water is recommended:

4	cups	water

1	whole	lime, juiced
  (save lime after squeezing)
1/8	tsp.	lime zest
1	cup	sugar

1/2+	cup	dried hibiscus (jamaica) flowers (mounded 1/2 cup is what I use)


Place water in a pot, add sugar, juice and zest.  (NO SEEDS - seeds will 

make this very bitter.)  Turn on high heat, cover and bring to a boil and simmer 
for 10 minutes.

Take the squeezed lime, place in a bowl with 2 cups of water.  Squeeze the lime,
mixing it with the water to get the flavors out.  Rough squeezing will get more 
of the oil from the skin too, so don't be too gentile.  Squeeze out the limes 
and toss when you have a very limey solution.  Set the lime water in the 
refrigerator to cool.

Remove from heat.  Add dried flowers, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes with no 

stirring.



After 10 minutes strain the tea and let cool.


Serve over ice and dilute with the lime water.  A 50/50 solution is very nice.