Jamaica Iced Tea Recipe

Jamaica is a hibiscus iced tea drink made from dried hibiscus flowers or “Flor de Jamaica.” Not to be confused with the Caribbean island, this drink is pronounced ha-MY-cah in Spanish. When steeped in boiling water the dark red petals makes a deliciously refreshing beverage with many health benefits. Hibiscus petals are high in vitamin C, contain diuretic properties, aid in digestion, but also can be used to stabilize high blood pressure and as an artery and kidney purifier.

Jamaica is a popular drink in Mexico

We tried this drink back in 2011, while on an art walk in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. One of the downtown boutiques was offering samples, so we gave it a try. When we returned the following year, the owner was still giving out samples in her shop. This time after a quick lesson on how to prepare it, we bought several bags of dried hibiscus flowers so we could make the jamaica iced tea for ourselves at home.
Before returning home we stopped at a very rustic store where locals shop. We heard you could buy dried jamaica flower petals in bulk, so naturally we purchased 2 kilos worth to bring home. This market offered a significant savings over the jamaica we purchased at the boutique. Since the owner didn’t speak any English, I had to complete the whole transaction in Spanish. This was a fun test for me to see how good my Spanish was…I loved every minute of it!!! I also walked out of the store with a quart of Mexican cinnamon, and some coconut candies for the kids! The Mexican airport officials were impressed when they searched my luggage and out pops out two huge bags of dried jamaica!!!

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Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Jamaica (Hibiscus) Flower Iced Tea Recipe
(Agua de Jamaica)

4 cups water
1/2 cup dried Jamaica Flowers
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used Golden Monkfruit)
Another 3 cups of cold water
More sweetener to taste
1 lime, thinly sliced

If you prefer, you can sweeten with any natural sweetener of your choice including honey in place of granulated sugar).

First, pick out a pot that won’t stain. Hibiscus has the potential to stain just about anything it comes in contact with.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove water from heat and add the dried flowers and sugar/sweetener. Place a lid over the pot and steep for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice along the way to break down the sugar granules.

Pour the infusion through a strainer into a pitcher or beverage dispenser. Next add about 3 more cups of cold water to the pitcher. Taste and adjust sweetener to your personal preference. You can add a bit more sugar if you think it’s too tart.

Cool completely and serve with plenty of ice in glasses garnished with a slice of lime.

Serves 8.

To make enough for this beverage dispenser, just double the recipe.

Throughout our travels in Mexico, we have seen this drink offered in many forms. Besides iced tea, we also tried jamaica martinis and jamaica margaritas! If you ever travel to Mexico, you should definitely give it try.