How to Make Hibiscus Tea Properly (Hot & Iced)

Hibiscus tea is a refreshing and tart red drink that’s great hot or iced. See how to properly brew it each and every time with my step-by-step guide.

Hibiscus Tea

• Hibiscus tea is a drink made from steeping dried hibiscus flowers in water.
• An herbal tea, it’s caffeine-free.
• The hibiscus plant is known for its large, bright colored flowers and it is grown in regions with tropical temperatures.
• The flower turns the water red and flavors it. 
• Use food-grade hibiscus to make sure they weren’t treated with pesticides.

Hibiscus Tea Brewing Guide

TO MAKE HOT HIBISCUS TEA
TEA: 1.5 teaspoons loose hibiscus or 1 tea bag
WATER: 1 cup (8 fl. oz.)
WATER TEMPERATURE: 208°F
STEEP TIME: 5 minutes

TO MAKE COLD BREW HIBISCUS TEA
TEA: 1.5 teaspoons loose hibiscus or 1 tea bag
WATER: 1 cup (8 fl. oz.)
WATER TEMPERATURE: Cold water
STEEP TIME: 12 hours

RELATED: How to Make Herbal Tea Properly

Loose Hibiscus Tea vs Tea Bags

Loose hibiscus tea is higher quality and you can see the flower petals. Hibiscus tea bags are of lower quality since they’re filled with crushed flower petals.

The more of the whole flower you can see, the better the quality.

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What You’ll Need

TO MAKE HOT HIBISCUS TEA

• Hibiscus loose tea or tea bags
• Filtered water
• Teapot with infuser or strainer
• Electric kettle with temperature setting

TO MAKE COLD BREW HIBISCUS TEA

• Hibiscus loose tea or tea bags
• Filtered water
• Teapot with strainer or cold brew pitcher
• Ice

My Hibiscus Pick:

How to Make hot Hibiscus Tea properly

STEP 1: Boil water.

The better the water tastes the better the tea tastes, so go for filtered water if you can. 

I use an electric kettle with a temperature setting and set the water to 208°F.

Make sure to boil more water than needed for the cup so that you can use it to warm up the teapot.

STEP 2: Warm up teapot.

Pour some hot water into the teapot and swirl it around a bit to warm it up. Discard the water.

Tea Sommelier’s Tip: Warming up the teapot helps to brew the tea properly, keeping the water temperature hot.

RELATED: How to Make Chamomile Tea Properly

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STEP 3: Put hibiscus tea into teapot and add hot water. 

STEP 4: Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.

Hibiscus is pretty forgiving so don’t worry if you steep it for more than 5 minutes.

STEP 5: Strain hibiscus flowers and pour hot tea into a teacup.

Tea Sommelier’s Tip: Whenever you pour from a teapot, always put a finger on the teapot lid.

If you want to sweeten your hibiscus tea, try sugar, honey, or date syrup.

How to Make Cold Brew Hibiscus tea

Cold brewing makes for the best iced tea! It’s super easy and delicious.

STEP 1: Put hibiscus tea and water in a pitcher or glass container.

Use cool or room temperature water — hot water isn’t needed to cold brew. Use filtered water for the best tasting cold brew tea.

STEP 2: Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

You can steep it for as long as 24 hours.

Use an iced tea maker like this cold brew glass pitcher to easily make cold brew tea.

STEP 3: Strain out hibiscus solids and pour tea into cup with ice.

To sweeten your iced hibiscus tea, use simple syrup. It’ll be the easiest to incorporate into your tea since it’s a liquid.

You can easily make simple syrup at home by mixing equal parts sugar and hot water until the sugar dissolves.

Hibiscus Tea Tips

• Use loose hibiscus tea instead of tea bags since it’s better quality.
• Try variations on simple syrup by dissolving honey, brown sugar, or date syrup instead of regular sugar in hot water.
• Tastes great when mixed with lemonade. Sweet and tart, hibiscus and lemonade go really well together.
• If you want to make a stronger brew, use 2 teaspoons of hibiscus tea. 

Questions You May Have

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