HIBISCUS ICED TEA

Every morning me and my grandmother used to plug hibiscus flower and go to the temple to pray and used hibiscus as an offering to God and then consumed this tea as blessed food[Prasad]. My grandmother always made hibiscus ice tea and we used to drink it together and enjoy cozy morning.

Hibiscus is a flowering plant that grows in warmer climates. The flower are of deep red in color and have a sweet and tart flavor. The part of the plant that people use to make hibiscus ice tea is the petal of the flower. Many people around the world use hibiscus as food and as well as in medicine. Hibiscus is high in antioxidants and offers many potential benefits such as, lowering blood pressure, Reducing bad cholesterol, reducing blood sugar, weight management, hormone balance and many others.

NOTE: Those with low blood pressure and who take other medication such as birth control pills and if you are pregnant you need to avoid hibiscus tea.

Following will show you how to make hibiscus iced tea from fresh hibiscus flower [you can also use dry hibiscus or hibiscus tea bag].

Here’s a step by step guide to making hibiscus iced tea:

INGREDIENTS:

• 6-7 Hibiscus flower or dried hibiscus flower / hibiscus tea bag.
• 2.5 cups water
• 1-2 tablespoon honey or sugar[according to your taste]
• 1-2 tablespoon lemon or lime juice.
• Ice cubes
• Fresh mint leaves and lemon or fruit slices for garnish.[optional]

EQUIPMENTS:

• Medium-sized pot / tea kettle.
• small spoon
• Juice glass for ice tea

• Bring 2.5 cups of water to a boil in a medium-sized pot over a stove.

• Only use the flower petal for this step and remove the calyx of the flower.
• Rinse all the flowers.
• Remove the pot from Stove and add hibiscus flower or dried hibiscus to the hot water.

• Let the hibiscus steep in the hot water for about 10-15 minutes, depending upon how strong you like your tea.

• Strain the liquid into a pitcher to remove the flowers. If you use tea bags simply, remove them

• While the tea is still warm, stir in honey or sugar to taste. You can skip this step if you prefer unsweetened tea.

• Add lemon or lime juice for an extra zesty flavour. This also enhance the tea’s natural colour. When you put lemon juice in tea, It will change its color from vine red to ruby red.

• Let the tea cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1-2 hours or you can just add some ice cubes.

• Fill a glass with ice cubes and pour the chilled hibiscus tea over the ice.

• Add fresh mint leaves and fruit slices like lemon, lime, or orange for garnish.
• Your hibiscus iced tea is ready to be enjoyed!

You can store the hibiscus tea in the refrigerator for up to a weak. Adjust sweetness and citrus levels based on your own preference.