Hibiscus Tea: What It is, Steps to Make It Properly, and Benefits

Hibiscus tea is a refreshing and tart drink that’s great hot or iced. See how to properly brew this caffeine-free tea properly, step-by-step, with expert tips from a certified Tea Sommelier.

What is Hibiscus Tea?

• Hibiscus tea is an herbal drink made from steeping dried hibiscus flowers in water. It’s caffeine-free.
• The tea is naturally red. The bright red hibiscus flower colors the water and flavors it. The hibiscus plant is known for its large, bright colored flowers and it is grown in regions with tropical temperatures.
• Always use food-grade hibiscus to make sure they weren’t treated with pesticides. Never use hibiscus from flower shops since they’re loaded with chemicals.

Love herbal tea? See how to make chamomile, rose, rooibos, barley, and lavender properly.

Hibiscus Benefits

• Drinking hibiscus tea on a daily basis has shown to reduce blood pressure.
• Hibiscus is high in antioxidants and has antiviral properties.
• There is evidence that hibiscus tea may reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes since it has hypoglycemic effects.
• Note that hibiscus tea has estrogenic properties so it’s best to be avoided if you’re pregnant.

Ingredient Notes

• Hibiscus Tea
  The more of the whole flower you can see, the better the quality. 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.
• Water
  If you can, always use filtered water for making tea since water quality makes a difference in how your tea tastes.

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Steps to Make Hot Hibiscus Tea

For complete brewing guide, full ingredients, and instructions, scroll to the bottom.

1. Boil water.
   Using an electric kettle with temperature settings to boil water for tea makes it easy to get the water temperature just right. Boil more than needed since you want extra to warm up the teapot.
2. Warm up teapot.
   Pour some hot water into the teapot and swirl it around a bit. Discard the water.
3. Put dried hibiscus into the teapot and add hot water. Cover teapot and steep.
4. Strain hibiscus solids and pour hot tea into a teacup.

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

Steps to Make Iced Hibiscus Tea

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

1. Put dried hibiscus and water in a pitcher or glass container. Cover and place in refrigerator to cold brew.
   Use cool or room temperature filtered water.
2. Strain hibiscus solids and pour tea into a cup.
   Cold brewed tea is already chilled so adding ice is optional.

Expert Tips

• Hibiscus tea can be served with or without sugar. To sweeten hibiscus iced tea, use simple syrup so that it mixes easily into the drink.
• Tastes great when mixed with lemonade.
• Hibiscus is often used in drinks to naturally color it pink like this pink frappuccino.
• Use an iced tea maker like this cold brew glass pitcher to easily make cold brew tea.
• Hibiscus tea can be brewed and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep it covered or airtight glass container or pitcher.
• Loose dried hibiscus and tea sachets should be stored in an airtight container away from light, odors, humidity, and heat.

Questions You May Have

Related

• Sparkling Hibiscus Yerba Mate
• Iced Matcha Rose Latte
• Quick & Easy Ginger Tea
• Top 10 Tea Sommelier Tips To Make A Better Cup Of Tea
• Butterfly Pea Flower Tea
• Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Latte

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Hibiscus Tea

Author: Jee Choe

How to brew hibiscus tea properly to make the perfect cup every time. 

4.9 from 8 votes

PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE

Prep Time 2 mins

Steep Time 5 mins

Total Time 7 mins

Course Drinks

Yield1 serving

INGREDIENTS

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup water + more to warm teapot
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried hibiscus

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Boil water.

  If using an electric kettle with temperature setting, set it to 208°F. Boil a little more water than needed so that it can be used to warm up the teapot. Filtered water is best.
• Warm up teapot.

  Pour some hot water into a teapot and swirl it around. Discard the water.

  Warming up the teapot is an extra step that all tea professionals take the time to do, so that when the tea steeps, the water temperature won't drop drastically.
• Put hibiscus tea into the teapot and add hot water. Cover teapot and steep for 5 minutes.
• Strain hibiscus flowers and pour hot tea into a teacup.

EQUIPMENT

Electric Kettle

Teapot

Water Filter

NOTES

How to Make Cold Brew Hibiscus Iced Tea

1. Put dried hibiscus and cool or room temperature water in a pitcher or glass container. Cover pitcher and put in refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Stir to make sure hibiscus get dampened by the water and isn’t sitting dry on top of the water surface. Use filtered water for a better tasting iced tea. 
2. Strain hibiscus solids and pour tea into a cup. Ice is optional since the tea is already cold.

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Brewing Guide

Hot Hibiscus Tea

• TEA: 1 ½ teaspoons dried hibiscus or 1 tea bag
• WATER: 1 cup (8 oz.)
• WATER TEMPERATURE: 208°F
• STEEP TIME: 5 minutes

Cold Brew Hibiscus Iced Tea

• TEA: 1 ½ teaspoons dried hibiscus or 1 tea bag
• WATER: 1 cup (8 oz.)
• WATER TEMPERATURE: Cold water
• STEEP TIME: 12 hours in the refrigerator

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Tips

• Use loose tea instead of tea bags for a better quality cup of tea.
• For a stronger cup of hibiscus tea, add a couple of more minutes to your steep time or add 1/2 teaspoon more of hibiscus.
• Use a glass teapot to make herbal tea so you can see the pretty herbals in water.
• Hibiscus tea can be served with or without sugar. If you want to sweeten hot tea, you can use any kind of sweetener from sugar to date syrup, but for sweetening iced tea, always use simple syrup since it’ll be the easiest to mix into a cold drink.
• Herbal teas like hibiscus are a lot easier to brew than other types of teas since it doesn’t get overly bitter if brewed for more than 5 minutes so don’t worry if it steeps for longer.
• Tastes great when mixed with lemonade.
• Hibiscus is often used in drinks to naturally color it pink.
• Hibiscus tea can be brewed and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep it covered or airtight glass container or pitcher.
• Loose dried hibiscus and tea sachets should be stored in an airtight container away from light, odors, humidity, and heat.

NUTRITION

Calories: 3 | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 12mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

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