Hibiscus Mint Herbal Iced Tea with Key Lime Ice Cubes
Written and Photographed by Juliet Blankespoor
Hibiscus Mint Herbal Iced Tea
OK, I have been having way too much fun with ice cubes. Meanwhile I’ve been working on a more medical piece on passionflower, which I hope to post within the month. But for now, I leave you with this herbal ice tea recipe and my first presentation in a series of fancy-pants ice cubes. Hopefully this tasty herbal tea and key-lime ice cubes will whet your appetite, and help keep you cool this summer.
Key lime ice cubes
Hibiscus Mint Herbal Iced Tea
Makes one gallon. Bring two quarts of water to a boil and add:
- 1 Tablespoon of Hibiscus
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Lemon balm
- 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Verbena
- 1 Tablespoons Peppermint
Cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain, and add ice to bring the volume up to one gallon. Serve in any fancy way you please – garnish of mint, ice cubes with frozen flowers. If you have any of these herbs fresh, use them in this recipe! Substitute one handful of the fresh herbs for one Tablespoon of the dried cut and sifted herb (bulk).
Hibiscus, also called roselle, is made from the calyces (sepals, part of the flower) of Hibiscus sabdariffa in the Mallow family (Malvaceae). Native to India and Malaysia, it has been widely adopted by tropical people around the globe as a refreshing medicinal tonic tea, and is made into jam. High in anti-oxidant bioflavanoids, Hibiscus has been the study of many recent studies for its anti-inflammatory, cardio-protective, neuroprotective, and hepatoprotective qualities. It is a good tonic tea for folks with heart disease or high cholesterol, and as a general preventative against free radical stress on the body. Take care with heartburn, as it can aggravate the condition with its sour flavor, and it may be too cooling for folks who run very cold.
Chocolate Mint (a type of peppermint)
Lemongrass growing with tricolored sage
Meet The Green Mastermind Behind Blog Castanea:
JULIET BLANKESPOOR is the founder, primary instructor, and Creative Director of the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, an online school serving thousands of students from around the globe. She's a professional plant-human matchmaker and bonafide plant geek, with a degree in botany and over 30 years of experience teaching and writing about herbalism, medicine making, and organic herb cultivation. Juliet’s lifelong captivation with medicinal weeds and herb gardening has birthed many botanical enterprises over the decades, including an herbal nursery and a farm-to-apothecary herbal products business.
These days, she channels her botanical obsession through her writing and photography in her online programs, on her personal blog Castanea, and in her new book, The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies. Juliet and her family reside in a home overrun with houseplants and books in Asheville, North Carolina.
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Silvi says:
Looks very refreshing. Great idea! Love drinking iced Hibiscus Tea
Thank you!
Christine Borosh says:
You’re welcome! We hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
amber orcutt says:
Was a lil disappointed with this recipe. I added the extra water to make a full gallon and it was so watered down that there was barely any flavor. I would use it again just add a lot less water and make a smaller batch.
Frankie says:
Thirsty already. Will try
Melanie says:
I love this type of blend; hibiscus and peppermint is lovely together. A question about your recipe though: You have lemon verbena listed as an ingredient but you’ve pictured lemongrass. I’m merely curious which you used. My tastes lean towards lemon verbena, it’s such a wonderful and highly aromatic herb.
Juliet Blankespoor says:
Melanie,
Thanks for the kind woods and catching that discrepenacy! The recipe includes lemon verbena, and not lemongrass. I just uploaded an image of the wrong plant! I do tend to use both in my herbal iced teas…
Happy Sipping,
Juliet
Caty Carli says:
Outstanding, I love hibiscus tea!
Joanna Simon says:
Wow. Looks fabulous…will try.