Agua de Jamaica, an iced hibiscus tea popular in Mexico
It was a little too strong and sweet this time, so I dialed down the hibiscus and sugar for next time
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The plant is also known as sorrrel or rosella.
Careful to not drink a ton, it can function as a mild laxative.
I like to add in spices for the steeping step. Mulling spices, or even just a simple cinnamon stick works great. Likewise, light brown sugar or turbinado sugar adds an extra layer of flavour.
I also recommend adding it 50/50 with plain iced tea for a different spin on an Arnold Palmer. Especially if you cut back on how much sugar you put in initially.
I never knew that hibiscus and sorrel were the same plant.
I have misspoken here. I had forgotten that the beverage made from the same plant in the Jamaican region is known as sorrel. Sorrel the plant is unrelated, but has a tart taste, and the leaves can have a red colour.
Roselle
Sorrel
Huh, TIL
And it appears that "wood-sorrel" is yet a third species.
Thanks for the tips! I made two liters, so I'll make sure to drink it slowly over a few days
What part of the plant is used? I have a couple of bushes.
The calyx that grows from the flower (kinda like a fruit) is the part that is used for the beverage. I don’t believe all hibiscus produce the fruit, just this varietal. Roselle
I'm guessing flower heads, but that's a major omission from the linked recipe.
Checking a little, looks like the dried flower sepals are commonly sold in Mexican markets.
Also popular in West Africa. Add a little ginger and freeze it, SO good.
The variant i got from a Nigerian friend also has cloves.
Ooh! Fancy
I know it as bissap in west Africa
That's it
mejor sin azúcar! :)
provecho!
¡Gracias! Me gusta más lo dulce que lo agrio, entonces para mi, no me gustaria sin azúcar 😅 He probado tejuino y algo similar, pero no me gustan las bebidas muy agrios o salados
Iced tea is my daily drink, and I found that I was able to gradually cut down sugar over time, plus added a bit of substitute, like sucralose. So two sugar cubes and a packet of Splenda tastes perfectly normal to me in a Gatorade bottle of iced tea (828mL / 28fl oz / 1.75pints).
The amount of sugar commonly included in bottles & containers of iced tea in stores is absolutely insane.
What's interesting to be is that different sugars and substitutes seem to settle at different levels and so you can actually get a more even sweetness like that
Sorry, what?
Not sure I'm understand right there, sorry.
So Splenda is lighter and tends to sit the top of the drink.
Raw sugar tends to sit at the bottom.
So a blend cover more drink area more evenly
Aaaannd, the significance of such..?
More even mixing of sweetness especially in chilled drinks
The glass isn't big enough, lol. Anytime I've ordered an agua fresca it comes in like a 32oz container at minimum🥤👀
Yeah, those huge plastic cups
It's a deli container.
Apparently I made this all the time without knowing it has a name. Well, I learned about hibiscus tea in Egypt. Tried a cup and fell in love. I definitely use less hibiscus and sugar so it’s more of a refresher.
Nice, here's my Kombucha de Jamaica. :)
One of my favorite agua frescas
Yum. Sorrel is tasty too
https://jamaicanfoodsandrecipes.com/jamaican-sorrel-drink-recipe/
So is it sweat or sour or what is the taste?
It's very strong hibiscus flavor which tends to lean sour/tart and a little bit of sugar to take the edge off. IMO its really good if you like hibiscus.
It's tart, fruity, and earthy, like fresh berries. The sweetness and tart is based on how much sugar is used to make the jamaica (ha-my-kah). It's often served cold or with ice.
3rd best Mexican drink after agua fresca and horchatta. It's very much worth trying if you find the opportunity.
Arent Jamaica and horchata agua frescas? What is agua fresca singular?
They are, yes, but they're special. I think most other agua frescas are mostly different fruits blended with water and sugar, but these two are special enough to stand apart from the rest
I agree! Horchata is my absolute favourite from Mexico, I make it pretty often. Agua fresca is also versatile and balanced
The hibiscus gives it a sour taste. With the amount of sugar I used, it turned out about as sweet as sour, but very intense in total
If it has too much hibiscus AND too much sugar. Did you consider adding more water?
Yeah, I reduced both sugar and hibiscus for next time, effectively increasing the water content
Also great with a third lemonade. Delish.
I like to water it down with Topo Chico over ice.
TIL that people need recipes for teas/infusions...