Hibiscus tea

My neighborhood Latino supermarket Fiesta sells dried hibiscus leaves in bulk, as it is popular in Mexico, where it is called Flor de Jamaica. I jumped on it and bought a big bag and have been making it as a tea (hot or iced) ever since! It is a popular drink in Egypt too, where they call it karkadeh.

Apparently, it is shock full of healthy benefits, such as a blood pressure lowering effect, also a sleep-inducing effect, also full of antioxidants. One thing I did notice, though, is that I better not drink too much of it. One or two cups a day, max. Otherwise, it tends to cause digestive issues.

I have also adopted the Mexican habit of adding a cinnamon stick when simmering theirs;  the cinnamon taste here is not overpowering, it just adds a nice background taste. In addition, one gets the health benefits of cinnamon too! Just make sure you are using the good cinnamon, the one that is imported from Ceylon.

Hibiscus tea

Joumana Accad Mediterranean, Middle Eastern July 14, 2022 Pantry, Beverages, herbal tea, hibiscus flower, iced tea, hot tea,

4-6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes

Passive Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

3/4 cup of dried hibiscus flowers

4 to 6 cups of filtered water or spring water (more when serving to taste)

1 stick of Ceylon cinnamon

Brown sugar, to taste (or honey or Stevia or regular sugar)

 

Instructions

Place the hibiscus in a pot and add the water and cinnamon stick. Bring to a simmer and let it simmer gently for about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steep for about 15 minutes or longer. Strain it into a jug and store in the fridge. It will keep for up to a week.

Serve hot, sweetened to taste. OR serve iced, if it's a hot day!

Add water to lighten it if you find it too concentrated.

Recipe Notes

In the picture, I show a candied orange slice that I used to snack on with it.

The orange was sliced and either covered in sugar syrup or sprinkled with granulated sugar. Bake it in a 200F for a couple of hours or until firm and crisp. Keep in a sealed box at room temperature for 48 hours.

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on tasteofbeirut.com. Thank you!