Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea (Easy Overnight Recipe)

Cold brew hibiscus tea is dried hibiscus flowers soaked in cold water in the fridge until the water turns a deep ruby red. It tastes tart, a bit like cranberry juice, it has no caffeine, and it takes five minutes of work. In many Latin American kitchens it’s known as agua de Jamaica.

Below you’ll find the ratio I start with, how long to soak it, how to fix a tea that’s too tart or too weak, and how to store it. I’ll also go through what the research says about hibiscus and who should check with a healthcare provider first, because that part matters.

How to Make Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea: The Short Version

Put ¼ cup of dried hibiscus flowers in a jar, add 4 cups of cold filtered water, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours. Strain, sweeten if you like, and serve over ice. That’s the whole method.

Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea Ingredients

• ¼ cup dried hibiscus flowers (about ¼ ounce or 7 g). They’re often sold as flor de jamaica or hibiscus tea flowers, in the tea aisle, the Latin foods aisle, or online.
• 4 cups (960 ml) cold filtered water.
• Optional, for serving: ice, lemon or lime wedges, fresh mint, and honey or simple syrup.

Recipes use very different amounts. Once Upon a Chef uses ¾ cup of flowers for 8 cups of water, and other cold brew recipes I compared use anywhere from ¼ to ½ cup for 4 cups. I start with ¼ cup per 4 cups because it gives a clear red tea that isn’t too sharp. Use ½ cup if you want it stronger.

How to Make Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea Step by Step

1. Rinse the dried flowers briefly in a fine-mesh strainer under cool water to remove any dust.
2. Put the flowers in a clean 1-quart jar or pitcher and pour in 4 cups of cold filtered water.
3. Stir once, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.
4. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pitcher, pressing the flowers lightly. Discard the flowers.
5. Taste it. Stir in honey or simple syrup if you want it sweeter, or add a splash of cold or sparkling water if it’s too tart.
6. Serve over ice with a lemon or lime wedge or a few mint leaves.

Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea

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• Author: Hannah Bell
• Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes
• Yield: 4 glasses 1x

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Description

A smooth, ruby-red hibiscus tea made by soaking dried hibiscus flowers in cold water overnight in the fridge. Tart like cranberry juice, caffeine-free, and easy to adjust.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• ¼ cup (about ¼ ounce or 7 g) dried hibiscus flowers, also sold as flor de jamaica
• 4 cups (960 ml) cold filtered water
• For serving (optional): ice, lemon or lime wedges, fresh mint, honey or simple syrup to taste

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Instructions

1. Rinse the dried hibiscus flowers briefly in a fine-mesh strainer under cool water to remove any dust.
2. Put the flowers in a clean 1-quart jar or pitcher and pour in 4 cups of cold filtered water.
3. Stir once, cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight. A shorter soak gives a lighter tea, and a longer one gives a deeper color and tarter flavor.
4. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pitcher, pressing the flowers lightly. Discard the flowers.
5. Taste the tea. If you want it sweeter, stir in honey or simple syrup, which dissolve more easily than sugar in cold tea. If it is too tart, add a splash of cold or sparkling water.
6. Serve over ice with a lemon or lime wedge or a few mint leaves.

Notes

This is a drink recipe, not a treatment. Hibiscus can lower blood pressure, so check with your healthcare provider first if you take blood pressure medication, have low blood pressure, or are pregnant. Keep the tea covered in the refrigerator and drink it within 3 days. Use 1/2 cup of flowers for a stronger tea.

Nutrition values are for the plain tea without honey, simple syrup, or other add-ins, based on USDA data for brewed hibiscus tea (1 cup).

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Drinks
• Method: Soaking

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 glass (1 cup / 240 ml)
• Calories: 0
• Sugar: 0g
• Sodium: 9mg
• Fat: 0g
• Saturated Fat: 0g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 0g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 0g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: cold brew hibiscus tea, hibiscus tea recipe, agua de jamaica

How Long Should You Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea?

Overnight is the easy answer. Sources vary quite a bit: Once Upon a Chef says 12 to 18 hours for its stronger batch, and other recipes go from about 4 hours to a full day. Because the flowers don’t turn bitter the way tea leaves can, the main effect of a longer soak is a deeper color and a tarter taste. These are my starting points, so adjust to your own taste:

Keep it in the fridge the whole time. Cold storage is the safer choice for any drink that sits for hours.

What Does Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea Taste Like?

It’s tart and fruity, often compared to cranberry or pomegranate juice, with a deep red color. Pure hibiscus tea is naturally calorie-free and caffeine-free, according to Medical News Today, as long as you don’t add sweetener. If the tartness is too strong, sweeten it a little, dilute it with cold or sparkling water, or add a squeeze of lime.

Cold Brew vs. Hot Steeped Hibiscus Tea

Both methods work, and the choice is about time. Healthline steeps hibiscus in boiling water for 5 minutes. Once Upon a Chef pours 4 cups of boiling water over the flowers, steeps about 15 minutes, then adds 4 cups of cold water and chills it. Choose hot if you want tea in 20 minutes. Choose cold brew if you’d rather set it up at night and have a pitcher ready in the morning.

Flavor Ideas and Variations

• Citrus: add a few lemon or lime slices to the jar, or squeeze in a wedge when serving.
• Mint: drop a few leaves in the glass, not the jar, so they stay fresh.
• Cinnamon: a cinnamon stick in the jar gives a warm, spiced version.
• Sparkling: mix half hibiscus tea and half sparkling water for a lighter drink.
• Hibiscus lemonade: stir in fresh lemon juice and a little honey or syrup.
• Another overnight drink: if you like a simple fridge-soaked drink, try our okra water recipe.

Honey or simple syrup mixes into cold tea more easily than granulated sugar. To make simple syrup, dissolve equal parts sugar and hot water, then let it cool.

Does Hibiscus Tea Have Health Benefits? What the Evidence Says

Hibiscus tea is best known for blood pressure. Here’s what the two sources I checked say, and how strong it is.

• Medical News Today: a 2020 review of seven trials found that hibiscus tea significantly reduced blood pressure. The review focused on Hibiscus sabdariffa, the type used for tea. The article says more large-scale trials are needed to confirm the benefits.
• Healthline: a small study of 46 people with high blood pressure found a bigger drop in tea drinkers than in the placebo group after one month. A 2015 review of five studies found average drops of 7.58 mm Hg (systolic) and 3.53 mm Hg (diastolic). Healthline notes that most human research is small and limited, and that many of the stronger findings come from test-tube or animal studies that used extracts.
• Weight loss: Medical News Today mentions a 2023 review that found some evidence for hibiscus combined with other plant extracts, and the authors called the results preliminary. There’s no proof it targets belly fat.

These studies don’t prove that a pitcher of cold brew will change your blood pressure, cholesterol, or weight. Treat this as a tart, caffeine-free drink you can enjoy, not as a remedy.

Who Should Be Careful With Hibiscus Tea

• Blood pressure medication: Healthline says hibiscus tea is not recommended for people taking medications to treat high blood pressure, because of possible interactions.
• Low blood pressure: Medical News Today notes that hibiscus could lower blood pressure further.
• Pregnancy: Medical News Today says it’s unclear whether hibiscus tea is safe to drink during pregnancy. Ask your provider first.
• Other medications: an older review mentioned possible interactions with acetaminophen and hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic. Hibiscus also contains plant compounds that act like estrogen, so it may interact with hormonal medications such as birth control, though no studies exist yet.
• Stomach upset and allergy: some people get an upset stomach or gas, and an allergy is possible.

Medical News Today also mentions that very high amounts of hibiscus extract may harm the liver in animal and human studies. Tea is likely much weaker, and more research is needed. If any of the points above apply to you, check with your provider before drinking it regularly.

How Much Hibiscus Tea Should You Drink?

There’s no official recommended amount. Medical News Today mentions that a 2020 review suggested 2 to 3 cups a day may be beneficial for high blood pressure, and it also says there are no long-term studies on daily drinking in the general population. I’d start with one glass and see how you feel, especially if you take medication or have low blood pressure.

How to Store Cold Brew Hibiscus Tea

Strain out the flowers, then keep the tea in a covered jar or pitcher in the fridge. Once Upon a Chef says it keeps up to 5 days, but I’d drink it within 3 days for the best flavor and to stay on the cautious side. Throw it out if it looks cloudy or slimy, or smells sour or fermented. Add ice and garnish when serving, not in the pitcher.

The Bottom Line

Cold brew hibiscus tea is a simple, inexpensive drink: ¼ cup of dried flowers, 4 cups of water, and a night in the fridge. The research on blood pressure is interesting but limited, and a few groups should talk to a provider first. For more simple daily habits, see our guide to a realistic wellness routine.

Sources: Medical News Today, Hibiscus tea: Benefits, risks, and how to prepare it; Healthline, 8 Benefits of Hibiscus Tea; Once Upon a Chef, Hibiscus Iced Tea (Agua de Jamaica)

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