My older brother and sister-in-law came by last night with a bag of this, wanting me to make a pitcher of iced tea for everyone. I haven’t tried this herbal tea before, but I am always excited to try new teas.
I mixed eight tablespoons of leaves with about two tablespoons of rock sugar, steeped for around ten minutes and left it in the fridge for a good four to five hours. Mind you, I’ve only made iced tea this way twice before, so there is a reason to my general approximations.
My first initial reaction was how surprisingly dark it is lukewarm, I would assume the sunflower petals and rosehip peels are to blame for that, but the sweet and fruity flavors quickly overwhelm, not so much overtake or suffocate, but at the very lease harmonize the overall taste.
It is an unusual color, a reddish blonde tone. And, because it is herbal, very cloudy.
My second helping, about twenty hours later, gives less a dark flavor and more a sweetly juicy body. The fruit really balance each other out. As well, the colder it is, the more delicious it gets.
I wish I made some of this near the end of summer. We’d probably be constantly making it, as the juicy flavor sure could quench a summer night’s thirst.
The lemonade part scares me… I think hot lemon juice and that burns my throat (I tried adding lemon juice to tea once)
It’s not terribly lemony at all. Just some tartness from the lemon.
Hibiscus free herbal tea! Adding this to my “to try” list. :)
Definitely worth a try, Shanti! Have you tried any other hibiscus-free tisanes that you liked?