6/19/13
I have to just say, THIS IS MY FAVORITE TEA EVER (for now.. I'm just starting my foray into tea-land). I have always loved hibiscus, ever since I discovered the Mexican drink they call Jamaica, which is basically just hibiscus flower tea served cold & sweetened wtih sugar. I don't recommend the sugar, but the flavor was unforgettable. It's not something that everyone loves off the bat.. or ever, but for me.. it was love at first sip. I had to find the source of the Jamaica.. and it led me to the hibiscus flower. I hunted it down at the local health food store.. this was years ago.. and made my first hibiscus tea. I've been hooked ever since.
Hibiscus is insanely high in vitamin C. It's a GREAT source. If you are feeling sick or like your immune system needs some help, go get some hibiscus tea. You can eat and drink your vitamins. It's easy and more pleasant, and drinking hibiscus tea is one great example.
Plus, its red. Which, is pretty cool. Who doesn't like a red drink? It's just exotic. It really is a beautiful color, but that's just part of the fun. Red teas have been making somewhat of a statement lately.. becoming more well known among the tea drinking populace. Roobois is another good example. You see that almost everywhere.
Today my body just wanted some hibiscus. It's insanely hot here (in New Mexico) at this time of year, and my body needed something insanely refreshing. I have been drinking more medicinal teas, since I've been also experimenting on formulas for my roommates cough, and then drinking the miracle teas myself as a result.. but today was the day for Hibiscus, and just vitamin C in general. Plus, the past few days, I have found myself adding herbs in the rose family to my teas. Yesterday was Rose Hips, Rose Buds, Rosemary and Echinacea.
Today the Hibiscus took the place of rose hips (both super high in Vitamin C), added orange peel, lemongrass and Pink Rose Buds. This was not only an absolutely beautiful tea to watch floating around in the pot, but one of the most amazing mixtures of flavors and health benefitting qualities I have impulsively put together on a whim. A instinctive whim, though.
The rose buds are sooooo relaxing. The smell is incomparable. There is no aroma like that of rose. A lof of people don't think you can drink rose petals. WELL YOU CAN. When we went on our plant walks at Truth or Consequences, NM.. it was UNBELIEVABLE the amount of leaves, flowers, bark & fruits you find in the wilderness, or even growing in your backyard, that you would NEVER think to eat or make into a tea. We are so incredibly detached from nature, we have no clue. It's not just for people who are lost in the wilderness... we are actually MISSING OUT by not knowing about these things we can eat. Instead we just drive through the Mc Donald's drive through. As if that's more convenient. More convenient than eating plants that grow in our backyard. Yup.
Pink rose bud tea is AMAZING. It is soothing and relaxing and healing and just picks up your mood immeasurably. You throw the whole buds in there, the petals, the tiny leaves that protect them and a tiny bit of stem ... and its a beautiful thing. If you think that giving or receiving roses is romantic, try drinking them. You will be happily surprised.
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