Hibiscus tea

 Today's taste test "tea" is Hibiscus.  This herbal infusion was gifted to me by my brother, David, and sourced from Mecca Coffee Company, of Tulsa Oklahoma.    As it contains no actual tea I'm not calling it "tea" for this review.

Hibiscus originated in Africa and is still popular as a hot drink there, it is also popular in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America and the Caribbean.  It's the primary flavoring agent in "Jamaica" drinks. 

Hibiscus has been found studies to lower blood pressure.  Studies to see it effects on cholesterol were mixed and seem to have the same effect as black tea.  Very high doses of hibiscus extract could potentially cause liver damage. The same review reported that hibiscus extract was shown to interact with hydrochlorothiazide (a diuretic) in animals and with acetaminophen in humans.  According to other sources, hibiscus consumption is not safe for people who take chloroquine, the malaria drug made famous during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

I made 4 cups using the Assam tea press and boiling water.  I did a 3 minute brew time. Having been exposed to hibiscus drinks before I knew it needed sugar, so I added 1 teaspoon of sugar per cup, added in the cup.   According to my readings on Hibiscus, it's frequently taken with honey. 

This drink has a faint floral smell while brewing and in the cup.

1st sip.  It's a very sour drink with floral undertones.  Has a slick mouth feel. 

1st full mouthful.  It's very sour and has a nice floral taste.  Due to the sourness of this drink I'll not be trying it with milk.  It has a sour aftertaste that is quite noticeable after several mouthfuls of this drink.  This aftertaste tends to dwell. 

I tried the 2nd cup with 2 teaspoons of sugar and found it to have more of a floral taste and less sour, but that is to be expected when dealing with a drink with 2 teaspoons of sugar.

The 3rd cup I made as an iced drink, adding 2 teaspoons of sugar to the drink while hot, then pouring it over ice.  It's a nice ice drink, being closer to lemonade than iced tea, but it's a nice enough drink.  It's a bit weaker due to the ice melt, so if I was to make it for an cold drink I suspect I would make it stronger to start with.  It's a very intense red color, something I didn't notice when drinking out of my red tea cups.

Because it's not ice drink weather, I took the 4th cup hot.  Having had it both ways now, I can state that it's a better iced drink than hot.

Would I drink this if offered by a friend? Sure.  It's a pleasant enough herbal drink.  Would probably be better as an iced drink.  I don't think I would ask for a 2nd cup of it while hot, but I might like a 2nd glass as an iced drink.

Will I drink this again? I might as part of an ice drink mix, however given it's possible interaction with acetaminophen, a medication I take often for migraines, I will be not drinking a large amount of it.

Would I buy this?  I don't think so.  While a nice enough herbal drink, it's not really "tea" and it has a possible interaction with a medication I take weekly.

Did Explorer the Cat go nuts over this?  She sniffed it while brewing, then went back to doing cat things.  She also sniffed at the glass holding the iced version on the computer desk

Final verdict:  7 out of 10.  Would drink again in moderation and would use as a summer ice drink if it didn't interact with acetaminophen.