Pa Hibiscus Tea Recipe
Make Pa Hibiscus Tea Recipe in just 45m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Hibiscus Concentrate
Tea Brew
Simple Syrup & Sweetening
Assembly & Garnish
Method
Hibiscus Concentrate
- 1
Measure and heat water
Bring 960 ml of water to a gentle boil in a saucepan.
- 2
Steep hibiscus
Remove the pan from heat, add 40 g dried hibiscus petals and 1 tsp lime zest. Cover and steep for 10–15 minutes for a bright, tart concentrate. Taste after 10 minutes and steep up to 15 minutes if you want a stronger flavor.
- 3
Strain and cool
Strain the hibiscus liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container, pressing gently on the petals to extract liquid. Discard the solids. Let the concentrate cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to chill while you brew the tea.
Tea Brew
- 4
Heat water for tea
Bring 960 ml water to a near-boil (just off boil).
- 5
Steep black tea
Add 4 black tea bags (or equivalent loose-leaf) and steep 3–5 minutes depending on desired strength. Avoid oversteeping to prevent bitterness. Remove tea bags or strain leaves.
- 6
Cool the tea
Allow the brewed tea to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled (about 15–30 minutes).
Simple Syrup & Sweetening
- 7
Make simple syrup
Combine 200 g granulated sugar with 240 ml water in a small saucepan. Warm gently over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Bring just to a simmer, then remove from heat and cool. Store the syrup in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- 8
Assembly & Garnish
- 9
Combine tea base
In a large pitcher combine the chilled black tea and chilled hibiscus concentrate. A good starting ratio is 60% tea to 40% hibiscus concentrate (example: for this recipe combine all of the prepared tea with all of the hibiscus concentrate). Taste and adjust: add more hibiscus for tartness or more tea to mellow.
- 10
Sweeten and acidify
Stir in simple syrup to taste: start with 60 ml (about 4 tbsp) and add more if desired. Add 60 ml fresh lime juice and mix. If using honey or agave instead of syrup, add 1–2 tbsp and stir until dissolved.
- 11
Chill and serve
Fill four glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per glass). Pour the hibiscus-tea mixture over the ice, leaving room if you plan to add sparkling water or coconut milk.
- 12
Optional fizzy finish
For a fizzy variation, top each glass with sparkling water (about 120 ml per glass / total 480 ml) and gently stir once.
- 13
Optional milk variation
For a milk-tea style drink, add a 15 ml–30 ml splash of coconut milk per glass (total about 60 ml for the batch). Pour the milk slowly over the back of a spoon or along the glass edge to create a marbled effect, then gently stir to combine.
- 14
Garnish
Garnish each glass with a lime slice and 2 mint leaves. Serve immediately.
