Need the perfect sweet and hot tea for New Year's morning? We've got the perfect treat for you! The perfect bit of sweetness -- a hint of bitter and a wonderful contrast to all the decadent treats and drinks you've been enjoying all night long.

So you are going to need some dandelions. As in the little yellow pesky flowers that your neighbor is trying to eradicate with an arsenal of chemicals. They are edible and the bitter can kind of tame the sweet of some dishes. We like to use the blooms in a hibiscus tea. The tea is sugared and the hibiscus has kind of a naturally sweet taste, so the undercurrent of slightly bitter dandelion works well.

Served hot or cold, this tea is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

It is sweet and herbal, but the dandelion adds that depth of flavor with a little touch of bitter.

If you are making this tea in the spring, the trick to the dandelions is to pick them when the little yellow flowers first appear. You want as much of the yellow flower, and as little of the white seed as possible. Grab the flower at the base and pull the yellow petals out. They will come apart as individual petals and separate completely when cooked. Of course, if you are making this for New Year's day, you are going to have a problem sourcing dandelions in your yard. So sadly, you are going to have to use dried dandelion leaves instead, but the bitterness still comes through to highlight the hibiscus. 

For hibiscus, you can purchase dried hibiscus tea from a lot of locations. Feel free to experiment with whatever sounds good to you. We like to use dried mexican hibiscus, which has a fantastic fragrance and flavor.

Here is the tea brewing on the stove! We like to make a giant pot of tea, chill the batches in pitchers and then warm up individual cups for hot tea or just pour straight over ice for iced. Want the recipe? Here goes!

Hibiscus & Dandelion Tea Recipe

This recipe is based on personal taste. Taste as you go to get the right amount of sugar!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Cups of fresh Dandelions - Start with 1 cup and then up it to two if you want more flavor.

(or start with 2 T of dried dandelion leaves and up it to add more bitterness to the brew depending on your tastes)

• 2-3 cups dried Hibiscus
• 1 cup of sugar
• 8 quarts of water

Directions:

1. Fill an 8 qt stock pot with water Stop about 2-3 inches from the top

(we added 2 black tea bags as well for a bit of dark flavor, but omit them to skimp on caffeine)

2. Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring as you go a few times to keep ingredients from sticking to the pan. 

3. Once the water boils, reduce the heat until it is just barely simmering. Let it go until your house smells amazing (15 minutes or longer to brew a stronger tea).

4. Let the mixture cool, then strain all the solids out, squeezing the flowers to get all the flavor out. When cooled, pour into pitchers and chill.

5. Now go pour yourself a cup of tea, sit back and relax!

More Hibiscus Information:

Hibiscus Plant Care

Hibiscus For Sale

Author Chris Link - Published 11-03-2021