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Spiced hibiscus tea served in two mugs viewed from above
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Spiced Hibiscus Tea Recipe

A warm ruby-red hibiscus infusion with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a little sugar.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Steeping 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 1-cup servings
Calories: 23.2
Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups water 960 ml, plus hot water to restore finished volume
  • 1 cinnamon stick about 3 g
  • 10 g fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 whole cloves about 0.4 g
  • 1/4 cup dried culinary hibiscus 8 g; volume varies, weigh when possible
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 24 g

Equipment

  • 1 Saucepan with lid
  • 1 Fine-mesh strainer
  • 1 Heatproof measuring pitcher At least 4-cup capacity

Method
 

  1. Combine the 4 cups water, cinnamon stick, ginger, and cloves in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Allow about 10 minutes total for heating and simmering.
  2. Turn off the heat. Stir in the dried culinary hibiscus, cover the pan, and steep for 10 minutes.
  3. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof measuring pitcher. Discard the strained flowers and spices. Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
  4. Add enough hot water to restore the strained drink to exactly 4 cups. Divide into four heatproof mugs and let cool to a comfortable drinking temperature. For iced tea, cool and refrigerate before serving over ice; chilling takes additional time.

Video

Notes

Use culinary hibiscus sold for food or tea, not ornamental flowers. Estimated nutrition uses USDA brewed hibiscus tea as a proxy and includes all measured sugar. Whole spices and flowers are strained out; variable trace extraction from the spices is not separately quantified. Finish at 4 cups for four equal servings. Cooling for iced tea takes additional time.
Video credit: caribbeanpot, How To Make A Spiced Sorrel Drink From The Caribbean. This original warm version uses a shorter covered hibiscus steep and different quantities; it is not the video’s longer-infused sorrel recipe.