This easy hibiscus sun tea is so effortless and refreshing you’ll wonder why there is a recipe. We are however just going to shed a little light on sun tea and how they can sooth the brutal heat months of July and August. Especially here in Tennessee.
WHAT ARE SUN TEAS?
It’s simply tea brewed in direct sunlight. All you do is steep your tea bags or favorite loose leaf teas in room temperature water and let the sun have at it. You can sun brew for up to 3-4 hours but its recommended to keep it under 4 hours. With sun tea brewed at a lower temperature comparably, there is some worries about bacteria growth. That being said, the risk is low to negligible if you follow simple sanitation procedures to prevent contamination. It is best to refrigerate right away and we typically drink up the batch made within a day.
EASY HIBISCUS SUN TEA BREWING
We start of with some quality ingredients. Find the best dried Sorrel you can lay your hands on, some fresh ginger, lemon and mint. Thoroughly wash your ingredients and peel ginger. Wash and sanitize a desired sized glass mason jar with a tight seal. Add all ingredients into jar, pour water to cover and seal. Set this under the sun for about 2 hours. It’s important to not add any sweeteners while brewing. Again we are brewing at a much lower temperature than regular teas.
SERVING SUN TEAS
We brew sun teas when the summer heat is sometimes unbearable so it is very obvious that we serve over ice. In my humble opinion they make the easiest and most refreshing infused iced teas ever. After brewing, depending on what other flavors you infused floating along side your tea, strain . Then sweeten to your hearts desire or just enjoy as is over ice.
When I polled how many people have heard about sun teas on my Instagram, I realized they are not really known to most. Hope you learned something new today and realize you don’t always have to pull out the pot or kettle. If you’re going to get scorched by the sun you might as well brew some sun tea.
Easy Hibiscus Sun Tea
Equipment
- Glass jar with a tight seal
Ingredients
- 2 quarts room temperature water
- 1/4 cup loose leaf dried sorrel
- 1 large lemon washed and sliced into thin rings
- 2-4 sprigs of fresh mint
- Sugar to taste (optional)
- Ice cubes
- 1 inch chunk of ginger peeled and sliced thin
Instructions
- Place sorrel in a tea bag and tie.
- Transfer all ingredients into mason jar except for the sugar and add water. Seal and place under direct sunlight to brew for 2 hours and no more than 4 hours.
- Strain, sweeten to taste and serve over ice with fresh mint.
Notes
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