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Surprising! What is Hibiscus Tea Made From?

Are you familiar with hibiscus tea? It’s an herbal tea known for its tart taste and strikingly red color.

Now, do you know what hibiscus tea is made from?

You might think it’s made from hibiscus flowers, right?

In fact, hibiscus tea isn’t made from the flowers of hibiscus at all. It’s actually made from the calyxes and bracts of a different plant called Hibiscus sabdariffa, also known as roselle.

Surprised???

The photo above shows the flower of the hibiscus roselle. While it does resemble hibiscus to some extent, it’s different from the bright red flower you might typically imagine when you think of hibiscus. In fact, it looks more like okra, mukuge (rose of Sharon), or kenaf.

It’s a tropical plant, and although it’s a perennial, it cannot survive the winter in Japan, so it’s grown as an annual plant there.

And here is a photo of the calyx and bracts of the hibiscus roselle. They may look like fruit, but what you see are the enlarged red calyx and bracts encasing the seed (the actual fruit). They resemble a small dragon fruit and are about the size of a quail egg.

Once the inner parts are removed, the calyx and bracts are chopped and dried to create hibiscus tea. You can also enjoy it as fresh tea by using the non-dried version (for instructions on making fresh tea, check out this article).

Now, every time you come across hibiscus tea, you might feel like sharing this fun fact with others! That’s all about the raw ingredients of hibiscus tea.