Hibiscus Tea

This past winter in Florida, it was soooo glorious to be surrounded by blooming plants during the months that mean cold and greyness in the Midwest.  I especially loved the billions of hibiscus bushes that surrounded where we stayed. 

Blossoms of all colors, orange, pink, red, and yellow, glowing in the sun, and sparkling with the afternoon tropical rains.  Oh, to enjoy a bit of that riotous color here at home!

When we adopted our beautiful hibiscus plant from the local nursery, my goal was twofold: to add some bright color to the patio and also to grow, for the first time, an edible flower.  I've been experimenting with making hibiscus tea, and have really enjoyed the results.  Would you like to see how it works?

The first thing to do is to pick some of the flowers.

Then, remove the stamens (be careful not to get the yellow pollen on yourself- it's a bit hard to get off!), and wash the flowers.

I decided to brew up my tea in my French press so that you could see the process through the glass.

Now it's time for some boiling water- do you see the amazing change in color as the flowers meet the water?  They change from bright pink to a dark and dusky greyish purple. 

The tea becomes very murky,

and the flower petals lose all of their pigmentation.

But do not despair!  The beautiful pinks are not lost forever!  In fact, here comes the magical part: with a few drops of lemon juice, the pink color is restored!

Wow!  What a neat reaction! 

And now with a  bit of sugar, or honey, or stevia, you have a scrumptious tea ready to sip!  It can be hot or cold- enjoy!

~Mersydotes