So anyone who has started to read my cupping probably has discerned that I’m a food nerd, tea enthusiast, and a bit of a sensualist. I don’t drink many teas that are flavored or scented, have a tendency to be drawn to Camellia and away from tisanes and usually reserve the tisanes and scented tea for steeping into puddings, making simple syrups from, churning them into ice cream, or making marinades from them. What can I say, I’m in love with tasting where things come from…
So I also work in the industry….and love what I do…and cherish the chance to share experiences and push the boundaries of what that means.
Now that summer solstice is in full swing, it been time to play with iced tea and time to weave teas into sangria and sorbet. Hibiscus is a natural choice for this and I was doing a bit of research into other cultures use of hibiscus and stumbled across a recipie for ‘agua de Jamiaca’ and decided it was time to dust off the tin of Hibiscus Ginger from the Tao of Tea.
I took:
1/2 cup of hibiscus ginger tea
the zest from one organic lemon
1/3 cup organic raw cane sugar
4 cups of 210 degree H20 pour over the lot and steeped, covered for 15 minutes.
took 2 trays of ice and 4 cups cold water and put in a pitcher and then poured the hot onto the cold through a simple strainer.
Sliced the zested lemon into fine slices, deseeded it, and added about 8 oz of organic lime juice.
The brew was a beautiful scarlet, deep beet red and the lemon slices added a nice color contrast. The flavor was smooth and very well balanced, there was none of the traditional tartness that I associate with hibiscus and I think I would have added slightly less sugar to help bring that out more, but the company I shared it with loved it and it was even mixed with a red wine by the end of the night.
I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a bright, crisp, easy-drinking alternative to traditional black iced tea or punch.
Super easy to make.
