Rose and Hibiscus Iced Tea

Drink like an Egyptian…

What could be more refreshing on a hot day than a long, ice cold drink? Add to that the sweet, fragrant taste of hibiscus and rose (a marriage made in floral heaven) and you have the perfect summer refreshment.

This insanely good recipe from Matters of the Belly is based on a traditional Egyptian tea called ‘Karkadeh’, drunk during the holy month of Ramadan. Blogger Noha (“a hungry Egyptian in Oz”) has created a subtly fragrant and refreshing take on the traditional ‘sickly sweet’ recipe, combining dried hibiscus petals with black tea, rose water and a drizzle of honey.

Rose and Hibiscus Iced Tea
Copyright: www.mattersofthebelly.com

What you’ll need:

  • 1 litre water
  • ¼ cup dried hibiscus flowers/petals or 3 hibiscus teabags
  • 2 black-tea teabags (omit for caffeine-free version)
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 2 tsp rosewater
  • Dried rose petals for decoration

For the full step-by-step instructions, head to the original blog post on Matters of the Belly.

The power of hibiscus

Hibiscus is believed to help with all manner of conditions, from fluid retention and digestion problems to high cholesterol and heart disease. It also makes a jolly good lip balm ingredient!

If you love the fragrant flavour of rose…

… you’ll love this rose petal jam recipe. For those with a sweet tooth, try rose meringue kisses – or this indulgently chocolaty rose rocky road.

Hibiscus may have adverse effects on pregnant and breastfeeding women, so consult your doctor before consuming if you are. Also, only use flowers specially grown for consumption as flowers from your florist may not always be suitable.

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