Refreshing Hibiscus Iced Tea

As winter comes to Chicago and the days get shorter and colder, I find it gets even more important to remember the sunnier moments in life. One of my favorite memories from this summer was taking a mid-afternoon break from work and heading over to my favorite food truck for a glass of their cool, refreshing hibiscus iced tea. Just one glass was enough to re-energize me for the rest of the day. Now that the temperature has started to drop, I find myself wishing for that pep in my step to return. With this recipe for hibiscus iced tea, I am definitely ready to take on the remainder of winter.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10

Ingredients:
2 ounces dried hibiscus flower (around 1 cup volume)
8 cups water, divided into 4 ½ cups and 3 ½ cups
½ cup sugar (if needed, more for taste)
juice of 1 lime
lime wedges (for garnish)
mint (for garnish)

Photo by Clark Halpern

1. Bring the 4 ½ cups of water to boil on the stove. Take a large heatproof bowl and put the hibiscus flowers and sugar inside it.

Photo by Clark Halpern

2. Pour the boiling water into the bowl with the hibiscus flowers and sugar.  Stir so that sugar dissolves, and let the flowers steep for 10 minutes.

Photo by Clark Halpern

3. Once properly steeped, strain the flowers out. Be very careful while straining not to spill the tea, as hibiscus tea stains very easily.
4. Add the lime juice and the remaining 3 ½ cups of room temperature water, plus more sugar to taste.
5.  Allow to cool to room temperature, and then enjoy over ice with a lime and mint garnish.

Photo by Clark Halpern

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