This iced hibiscus tea is an agua fresca served throughout Mexico. Made with hibiscus flowers, the flavor of agua de jamaica is tart and refreshing.
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Agua de Jamaica Note: If you can’t find dried hibiscus flowers, use 3 to 4 bags of hibiscus tea, such as from Tazo or Trader Joe’s, although these come with additional flavorings like lemon grass and orange peel. The recipe I adapted says to use 2 cups of dried hibiscus flowers, but I found 1 cup to be plenty.
What is Agua de Jamaica? Agua de Jamaica (pronounced ha-MY-cah) is a hibiscus iced tea drink made from dried hibiscus flowers (or “Flor de Jamaica” in Spanish), water and sugar. The hibiscus tea is very tart and almost has a cranberry-like flavor, which is why it’s typically sweetened with sugar.
1 cup dried hibiscus flowers (see note above) 2 quarts cold water Sugar or simple syrup (to taste) Optional lime juice, concentrated ginger tea or ginger syrup.
To make this tea into a full pitcher of a deliciously tart and sweet jamaica drink, pour the concentrate into a pitcher and add 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir to combine, taste and adjust the sweetness and/or potency by adding more sugar or water if desired.