Aloha Hibiscus Tea

This iced tea is refreshing and so enjoyable topped up with ice. You can make it the night before and freeze it in your water bottle if you're spending the day outside. A great drink to take on a long walk, or to have while sitting at your computer. So easy to make with just two ingredients! Mother nature doing her best work.

In this article we're going to talk about the Hibiscus plant and how it can be used, including the Aloha Hibiscus iced tea recipe.

Hibiscus is a tropical perennial that grows in most tropical climates, and is known for its large and diverse assortment of coloured flowers. More than one species is known as hibiscus. The hibiscus blossoms come in a range of shapes, sizes and colours.  There are many species of the Hibiscus plant, the most popular variety however is Hibiscus sabdariffa which is what we use. 

The part of the hibiscus that's used are the 'calyxes' this part is at the base of the flower (the waxy red part) and it's peeled off, dried and then used in tea.

Hibiscus Tea is Versatile 

Hibiscus can be used in many different ways including:

• Hot tea

• Iced tea

• Mocktails

• Cocktails

• Smoothies

• Kombucha

• Cooking recipes e.g. desserts like panna cotta

• Flavoured ice cubes

• Jams

• Syrups

• Sauces

It's an excellent refreshment drink, a much healthier alternative to sugar sweetened drinks. 

This particular variety of hibiscus is our signature plant and most favourite of all. Here's a picture of it growing in our garden at home, in Perth Australia. What you can see here are the red calyxes (the bottom of the hibiscus flower) this is the part we pick each petal individually, to dry for tea.

Aloha Hibiscus Iced Tea Recipe

• 1 teaspoon hibiscus tea 

• 250ml filtered water boiled 

• 1 cup of ice

• Optional: Lime juice, Stevia leaf, mint leaves

Method

1. Add tea to cup, pour over boiling water, stir well.

2. Cover with plate (to keep heat and steam in).

3. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, or overnight in fridge to cool.

4. Once cool, strain and serve over ice.

5. You can keep the hibiscus petals in the iced tea, it actually has a really nice texture and is good to bit into when drinking the tea.

Other Ideas

1. Make a concentrated version of this tea and pour into ice cube trays, freeze, use for drinks to impress your guests.

2. Make a concentrated version of this tea (30 ml) and pour into cold soda water.

Product Purchase

Aloha Hibiscus Tea 75 grams