I was first introduced to Hibiscus tea on the island of Maui and it will forever remind me of that hot, tropical sunny afternoon when I took my first sip. It tasted like cherry flavored liquid sunshine and made me feel all bright and happy inside for the rest of the day!

I was curious about the health benefits of drinking Hibiscus tea and was pleased to find out that it contains high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants, which help to strengthen the immune system and get rid of cell-damaging free radicals. It’s also good for lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure. Hibiscus tea is known worldwide for these health benefits and is a very popular drink that is served hot, cold and as a frozen dessert in Mexico, Central America, Africa, Egypt, The Middle East, Thailand and China.

Hibiscus tea is my favorite summer drink and I make large batches of it in glass sun tea jars and enjoy it iced. It’s super easy to make at home. All you have to do is boil a hand full of dried Hibiscus flowers, in a large pot of water for a few minutes, let them steep, add a sweetener or fruit juice to the mix and when the tea cools, strain it into a large glass container.

You can also use tea bags to make Hibiscus tea. My favorite company to purchase Hibiscus tea bags from is Now Foods. Their Heavenly Hibiscus Tea is a delicious combination of Hawaiian Hibiscus petals, Wild Cherry Bark, Rose Hips, Orange Peel, Lemon Grass, Spearmint Leaf, Licorice Root and Cherry Flavor.

Here’s my favorite recipe for making Hibiscus Tea:

• Wrap dried Hibiscus flowers in cheesecloth- twist and knot the ends together and put it in a large glass jar (you can also use 4 Hibiscus tea bags instead of the flowers)
• Pour cold water into sun tea jar or large glass pitcher
• Cover with lid or coffee filter (use a rubber band to hold it in place)
• Place in a sunny spot outside for about 6 hours or until bright cherry red
• Add lemon slices
• Sweeten to taste (I like using organic raw sugar to sweeten my tea, but have also enjoyed sweetening it with pineapple juice)
• Chill in fridge
• Pour Over Ice
• Enjoy!