Agua de Jamaica: Refreshing Mexican Agua Fresca Recipe

A glass of agua de jamaica, hibiscus tea

I grew up drinking hibiscus tea (agua de jamaica). In Mexico, every meal is served with an agua fresca on the side. If you open the fridge of any Mexican family, you’ll find a big pitcher of some agua fresca (a refreshing beverage) in there.

What is hibiscus?

The hibiscus flower (flor de jamaica)- comes from a plant that grows worldwide in tropical-ish weather. This flower has a trumpet shape and a deep red color.

It is harvested and dried so we can make a delicious tea. You can drink hot hibiscus tea or cold. If you make an authentic Mexican drink, you’ll use it cold.

💥FUN FACT 

Hibiscus is also known as roselle (Australia), sorrel (Caribean), jamaica, or rosa de jamaica (Latin America). 

In México we call it jamaica and this is how you pronounce it: hah-may-kah.

How does Flor de Jamaica – hibiscus flower taste?

Hibiscus taste is very complex. It is tart, sweet, and cranberry-like. In a way, you know these flavors, and they might taste familiar. Hibiscus tea is caffeine-free, so feel free to taste it any time of the day.

Staining hibiscus to make jamaica drink mexican

How to prepare the mexican drink?

First, boil 4-6 cups of water in a pot. When you get to the rolling boil, turn the heat off.
Add the hibiscus flowers and let it steep.
Strain the tea and add it to a pitcher.
Sweeten your hibiscus tea with sugar or the sweetener of your choice.
Mix and serve.

adding sugar to a pitcher of jamaica agua fresca

Some Helpful Tips to make the best agua fresca

Where do I buy hibiscus flowers? You’ll find it next to the dry chiles in the Mexican food section in supermarkets. In some places, you can buy it in bulk or even order some through Amazon or other online stores.
When you strain the tea, DO NOT THROW AWAY THE FLOWERS; they are edible and delicious. One of my favorite ways to eat them is in tacos, yes, tacos de jamaica with avocado slices.
Hibiscus tea “agua fresca” tastes really good when you combine it with: lime or lemon, mint, strawberries, like in this hibiscus strawberry margarita or paletas, cherries.

Serving agua de jamaica to a glass filled with ice

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Hibiscus Tea (agua de jamaica)

Alejandra Graf

This is the traditional and authentic way to prepare agua de jamaica, a classic Mexican drink.

4.58 de 7 votos

Prep Time 0

Cook Time 10

Cooling time 10

Total Time 20

Course Drinks

Cuisine Mexican

Servings people

Calories 64 kcal

Equipment

strainer
pitcher

Ingredients

6 cups of water
1 ½ cups dried hibiscus flowers
1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste

For serving

Instructions

Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Turn the heat off and add the the dried hibiscus flowers.
Let it rest for 8-10 minutes.
Strain the liquid into a pitcher.
Add 2 more cups of water and the sugar. Mix and taste, adjust if necessary.
Add ice to the pitcher or serve in a glass filled with ice.

Video

Notes

You could also save the concentrate in a jar or glass bottle with a stopper cap and prepare a glass of hibiscus tea each time.

You just add about one-third of a cup of concentrate to the glass, the sweetener of your choice, and more water.

If you buy the tea by bulk, be sure to rinse it before adding it to the boiling water.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 64kcalCarbohydrates: 17gFat: 1gSodium: 14mgPotassium: 12mgSugar: 17gVitamin A: 175IUCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg

Keyword agua de jamaica, agua fresca, Hibiscus, jamaica drink, mexican drinks

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information

Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @piloncilloyvainilla on Instagram and hashtag it #alecooks so we can all see your creations.

What are the benefits of hibiscus?

It has a ton of benefits. Hibiscus is known for its impressive amount of antioxidants, for helping with blood pressure, and many more.

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