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My husband was born and raised in Aguascalientes, Mexico, and he knows a thing or two about agua frescas. He taught me everything I know about Agua de Jamaica, including where to buy the dried flowers, the best way to prepare them, and how much sweetener to add.
We are so excited to pass along these traditional tips and techniques so you can make and serve authentic Agua de Jamaica in your own home. Once you track down the flowers, the rest is easy!
The results are an infused floral beverage that is as sweet as you want it to be. Serve it over ice with all your favorite Mexican recipes or as a unique summer drink.
Table of Contents
Hibiscus Tea Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Dried Hibiscus Flowers (Flor de Jamaica): Look for dried flor de Jamaica at your local international or Mexican supermarket or order them online. Use a food scale to measure out 2 ½ ounces for this recipe, or you can roughly estimate by scooping up 1 ½ dry cups.
- Sugar: Customize the sweetness level by adding sugar to taste. You can also sweeten hibiscus tea with honey if desired.
How to Make Hibiscus Tea
- In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups water and 1 ½ cups dried hibiscus flowers.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the dried flowers have softened, about 15 minutes.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove dried flowers, pressing down on them to extract as much liquid as possible (you will have about 3 cups liquid).
- Stir in sugar until dissolved. Transfer to a large pitcher and stir in remaining 8 cups cold water.
- Serve over ice with lime wedges if desired.
Recipe tips and variations for Hibiscus Tea
- Yield: My Agua de Jamaica recipe makes 12 cups of hibiscus tea, enough for 12 refreshing 8-ounce servings.
- Jamaica Concentrate: In Mexico, sometimes they make and refrigerate just the concentrated Jamaica syrup. Then, to make an individual serving, they add some Jamaica syrup to a glass with ice and top with water to taste. To do this, omit the 8 additional cups of water after straining and refrigerate the concentrate in a small glass pitcher or plastic bottle.
- Sugar free: You can omit the sugar in Agua de Jamaica and let people add their preferred sweetener to taste. The sugar won’t dissolve as easily as in warm water, but it’s a good work-around if you need it. This works for the concentrated Jamaica syrup, too.
- Agua de Horchata: This creamy rice-based drink is another classic Mexican beverage.
How to Store Hibiscus Jamaica Tea
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
No worries! Stir in extra water to the finished pitcher or your individual glass until you reach your desired level of sweetness.
I like the way you think. For the 21+ crowd, consider adding a shot of tequila or vodka to each serving.
Agua de Horchata (Rice Water)
Agua de Horchata is a sweet, creamy beverage served in many Latin American countries. This version is from Mexico, and it’s so refreshing with tacos, burritos, and fajitas.
View Recipe
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Hibiscus Tea Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 cups water divided
- 1 1/2 cups dried hibiscus flowers (flor de Jamaica, about 2 ½ ounces, see note 1)
- 1 cup granulated sugar or to taste (see note 2)
- Ice and lime wedges, for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups water and 1 ½ cups dried hibiscus flowers. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the dried flowers have softened, about 15 minutes.
- Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove dried flowers, pressing down on them to extract as much liquid as possible (you will have about 3 cups liquid).
- Stir in sugar until dissolved. Transfer to a large pitcher and stir in remaining 8 cups cold water. Serve over ice with lime wedges if desired.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Dried Hibiscus Flowers (Flor de Jamaica): Look for dried flor de Jamaica at your local international or Mexican supermarket or order them online. Use a food scale to measure out 2 ½ ounces for this recipe, or you can roughly estimate by scooping up 1 ½ dry cups.
- Sugar: Customize the sweetness level by adding sugar to taste. You can also sweeten hibiscus tea with honey if desired.
- Yield: My Agua de Jamaica recipe makes 12 cups of hibiscus tea, enough for 12 refreshing 8-ounce servings.
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Can I boil the hydrated Jamaica again or is it just one time use?
Hi Irene, I have reused the leaves and the second time it is usually a lot weaker, but still tasty. You could try it and see what you think. If it’s for myself, I don’t mind the weaker version, but if you’re serving it for a party then you might want to start with fresh leaves. I hope this helps. I wouldn’t attempt for more than 2 uses. Good luck! -Meggan
For my daughter’s birthday she requested I make this drink. I have tried it once before from a co-worker and I did not like it. Your recipe is amazing. I made it on the stove top. It was so delicious, will definitely be making this again. thank you for sharng! I’m sure my daughter will love this tomorrow!
Thank you do much for the recipe for Aqua de jamican HIBISCUS TEA. My husband and I were at a furniture store and the sales lady we had offered us something to drink and it was this tea it was so good, I was what is this, That’s when she told us about this tea Since then I went to the store and got it I can’t wait to make this now. I’m going to do it with a cinnamon stick and a slice of orange. Thanks you for these recipes I will be trying them..Have a special day. ..
I love Agua de Jamaica! I tried yours and it is so refreshing on a hot day – not too sweet, so flavorful! Thanks for sharing. This is as authentic as it gets!