Ever since discovering the cold brew mocktail, we’ve been experimenting with more beverages that bring a little magic to the late afternoon. When attention flags and energy lags, we’re looking for just the right pick-me-up to add a little joy, ritual, and just enough zing to rev the engine again. 

Enter hibiscus pick-me-up tea, our own blend of dried hibiscus flowers, black tea, honey, and citrus. It tastes great hot. It’s awesome over ice. And because we’re using loose tea, it’s very flexible—you can adjust the ratio of tea and flowers to your liking. You do you.  

What you need

This recipe makes two 8-oz cups of tea. Because we want a little caffeine but not a full-strength cup, we’ve cut the usual tea amount down a bit. Adjust up to 3 or 4 tsp if you want more caffeine, or switch to herbal if you want less.  

• ⅛ cup dried hibiscus leaves

• 1-2 tsp of loose black tea or Earl Gray

• 2 strips of citrus zest (I love orange here, but sometimes I’ve only got a lemon, which works great too.)

• 2 tbps honey or agave

• A way to brew loose tea (We use the tea sock of course!)

Make your tea

To make individual cups

• Divide the hibiscus leaves and loose tea into two tea socks or other brew method. 

• Bring 16 ounces of water to boil in a kettle.

• Add your tea blend to two 8 ounce tea cups along with one citrus peel.

• Pour the hot water over the tea and let it steep for 3-5 minutes. 

• Stir in up to 1 tbsp of sweetener per cup.

To make in a batch

Use this method if you’re making 4 or more cups.

• Add all of the dried flowers and loose tea into a tea sock or other brew method. 

• Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized sauce pan. (Multiply 8 ounces times the number of servings. So, 32 ounces for 4 cups)

• Remove the pan from the heat and add in the citrus zest and tea bag.

• Let steep for 5-8 minutes, or until the tea has a nice, rich color. 

• Remove the tea bag and stir in your sweetener. 

• Divide into your serving cups. 

To make it iced

• Follow directions above, using half the water. 

• Once tea is steeped and you’ve added the sweetener, add the other half of the water as either cold water or seltzer. 

• Toss in a couple of ice cubes.