The aromatic hibiscus tea is a must try for its flowery fragrance and delicious taste. It may not taste as the usual teas, but it definitely won’t disappoint you as its bitter taste is well-balanced by its appealing aroma. Another thing interesting about this herbal tea is its rich and velvety red colour. To the top of it all, its benefits won’t disappoint you at all. If you want to know the recipes to use this tea or if you don’t like its flavour but you want to add it to your diet, you are on the right page. Here is a list of few recipes that deliciously use this edible flower.

1. Hot and sweet hibiscus tea - Chilly weather and a cup of tea in hand! Sounds exciting. So try the most simple recipe of taking a cup of boiling water and steeping dried and crushed hibiscus petals in it. Two points are important - one rather than purchasing tea bags, prefer dried petals and two the quantity of petals used may vary depending upon how strong you want your hibiscus tea to be, but generally for a cup 1-2 teaspoons would suffice. Also, duration of steeping the flower petals in water can alter depending upon the strength you need varying between 5-10 minutes or even longer. And finally, you get a well brewed, dark red hued, velvety textured tea. Also, to balance off the bitter tarty flavour, adding 1/2 teaspoon of honey is also an excellent option.

 

2. Iced hibiscus tea - Many of you might think of only one way of using it and that is steeping it in hot water for a few minutes and consuming it post sieving. If you are craving something cold to quench your thirst on a hot summery day, try having a cup of iced tea made with dried and crushed petals of hibiscus flower. Take 1-2 teaspoons of hibiscus flower petals and pour 1/4 cup boiling water over it. After steeping the flowers in boiling water for 5 minutes, sieve the petals out and add ½ teaspoon of honey. Then add loads of crushed ice to the glass until the glass is full.

 

3. Alcohol-free hibiscus sangria - A true brew is one that is left overnight to release all the flavours and benefits. For making an alcohol-free alternative to sangria with hibiscus, hibiscus petals are a good option due to their brilliant dark red hue. Take a pitcher and add 5-6 teaspoons of dried and crushed hibiscus flower petals to it. First step is steeping these petals in 3-4 cups of boiling water for 5-10 Once a red hue is obtained, add mint leaves and a cup of fresh or frozen berries to the pitcher such as strawberries, blackberries, blueberries etc. Then fill the rest pitcher with cold water and refrigerate it overnight for steeping of flavours.

 

4. Hibiscus tea latte - This is a tricky recipe as hibiscus is an acidic flower and combining milk with acidic food is not a good option as there are high chances of curdling. So, either use hibiscus tea bags in this case as they are not purely hibiscus petals but have additives too which balance its acidic effect. Another way is using full fat milk as low fat is also a reason for the curdling of milk. Making hibiscus latte requires the se first step of steeping the flower petals in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Then add few drops of vanilla essence and ½ teaspoons honey. Top it with well frothed milk and sip it up.

 

5. Sorrel tea - Jamaicans call this tea as sorrel tea as Caribbean call hibiscus flowers as sorrel. Their traditional Christmas recipe needs a saucepan in which water, 2 cups of hibiscus flower petals, 1/3 cup of ginger slices, 2-3-inch cinnamon stick, 6 whole cloves, 1/4 cup grated orange zest and grated zest of one lemon and one lemon juice are put together to boil over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Then after adding lemon juice, it is covered tightly for 1-2 days at room temperature. Later the solids are strained and discarded and the liquid is chilled thoroughly and served with ice and mint leaves. Addition of honey is

 

6. Berry hibiscus tea smoothie - For a freshly prepared smoothie, steep 1 teaspoon of dried hibiscus flowers in 1/4 cup boiling water. Then strain this liquid after 5 minutes and add berries such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, plain yoghurt and a handful of ice to it. Blend it well and get a chilly smoothie for filling you up and relaxing you on a hot summery day.
   
   So next time you think of having hibiscus tea just as warm tea, consider beyond this. Have it cold as iced tea or sip it as latte. Punch of hibiscus tea is also a good alternative.