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HomeRecipesDrinks

Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)

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By: IsabelPosted: 7/22/19

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Made with only 3 ingredients, Agua de Jamaica is a sweet and tart refreshing drink made from hibiscus flowers that’s very popular in Mexico. It’s one of the most popular kinds of agua frescas and is ready in only 15 minutes!

A glass of Agua de Jamaica filled with ice and garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Sweet, tart and refreshing, Agua de Jamaica is one of the most popular types of agua frescas in Mexico. Made from dried hibiscus flowers, water and sugar, it can be sweetened to your personal liking and is a flavorful alternative to soda

What is Agua de Jamaica?

Agua de Jamaica (pronounced ha-MY-cah) is a hibiscus iced tea drink made from dried hibiscus flowers (or “Flor de Jamaica” in Spanish), water and sugar. The hibiscus tea is very tart and almost has a cranberry-like flavor, which is why it’s typically sweetened with sugar.

Sometimes it’s made with additional spices like cinnamon and ginger, but today we’re making the tried and true typical Mexican version you’ll find in restaurants and markets.

Where to find dried hibiscus flowers

Hibiscus flowers are fairly common in most Mexican grocery stores and can be found near the spices or dried chiles.

If you can’t find any near you, you can order them online on Amazon.

A bag of Flor de Jamaica (also known as dried hibiscus flowers) from a Mexican grocery store.

How to make Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)

Add 4 cups of water and 1 1/2 cups of dried hibiscus flowers to a pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, uncover and let sit for another 5 minutes.

Carefully strain the mixture into a glass container and discard the hydrated hibiscus flowers.

Dried hibiscus flowers in a pot and then being strained to make jamaica drink.

At this point, you can store the hibiscus tea concentrate in the fridge until you’re ready to use it (see recipe card below for more info).

To make this tea into a full pitcher of a deliciously tart and sweet jamaica drink, pour the concentrate into a pitcher and add 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir to combine, taste and adjust the sweetness and/or potency by adding more sugar or water if desired.

A pitcher of Agua de Jamaica next to some dried hibiscus flowers.

Traditionally, Agua de Jamaica is very sweet and fairly strong, but I know everyone has different preferences which is why I recommend starting with 1/4 cup sugar, 4 cups of water and then adding in more if you want it a little sweeter and/or more diluted.

And don’t forget that you’re going to serve the tea with ice, which may dilute it even more as the ice melts.

A glass filled with Agua de Jamaica and garnished with mint leaves.

More refreshing drinks

  • Horchata
  • Agua de Pepino(Cucumber Agua Fresca)
  • Agua de Sandia (Watermelon Agua Fresca)
  • Frozen Margarita
  • Skinny Margarita

Recipe

4.78 from 9 votes

Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)

Serves: 8 servings
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A glass filled with ice and Agua de Jamaica.
Prep: 0 minutes minutes
Cook: 10 minutes minutes
Total : 15 minutes minutes
Agua de Jamaica is a sweet and tart refreshing drink made from hibiscus flowers that's very popular in Mexico. This agua fresca is ready in only 15 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 8-10 cups water, plus more to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups dried hibiscus flowers
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste

Instructions

  • In a small pot, add 4 cups of water and the dried hibiscus flowers. Bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, uncover and let it cool down for 5 more minutes.
  • Pour the tea through a strainer or colander into a large pitcher that holds at least 8-10 cups. Discard the used used hibiscus flowers.
  • Add the granulated sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add the remaining 4 cups water and stir to combine.
  • At this point, taste the tea and add more sugar and/or dilute it with more water until it's to your liking. Some people like it super sweet, some like it super strong, it's up to you!
  • Serve in a glass filled with ice and enjoy!

Isabel’s Tips:

To make one cup of tea at a time – Follow steps 1-4 to make the hibiscus tea concentrate, except instead of pouring the concentrate into a pitcher, pour it into a glass container that holds 4 cups (like this mason jar). Grab a drinking glass and fill it 1/3 of the way up with concentrate and another 1/3 of the way up with water. Mix in 1 teaspoon of sugar at a time until the sweetness is to your liking. Fill the cup with ice and enjoy. Store the remaining concentrate in the fridge.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup Calories: 24kcal (1%) Carbohydrates: 6g (2%) Protein: 0g Fat: 0g Saturated Fat: 0g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g Monounsaturated Fat: 0g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 0mg Potassium: 0mg Fiber: 0g Sugar: 6g (7%) Vitamin A: 700IU (14%) Vitamin C: 59.4mg (72%) Calcium: 0mg Iron: 19.8mg (110%)
Author: Isabel Eats
Course:Drinks
Cuisine:Mexican
A glass filled with ice and Agua de Jamaica.
Did you Make my Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea)?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on social media!
@isabeleats

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Recipe Rating:




  1. Donald Willson says

    Posted on 5/2 at 9:54 am

    5 stars
    I made the agua de jamaica. Tasted just like what my Nana always gave us to drink when I was growing up. ¡Muchísimas gracias!

    Reply
  2. Dennis says

    Posted on 11/8 at 10:33 pm

    5 stars
    This was a beautifully written article. I happened to see dried jamaica sold at a Mexican market and couldn’t resist buying some. But when i got home, I realized I had no how to brew it. I am very glad I came across this post. I particularly like the explanations on various adjustments. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Juan says

    Posted on 6/25 at 11:42 am

    4 stars
    In my 71 years on this planet I’ve drank this every summer of my life so far. I do make it a bit different as I like a bit of lime juice in mine. It’s also a excellent tonic and good for the liver I am told. The bruja who lived down the road told me so as a boy. It was sooooo good on a hot summer 110-115 summer day in the Imperial Valley.

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 6/27 at 9:51 am

      Hi Juan! Thanks for sharing, we’re glad you enjoyed this recipe!

      Reply
  4. Donna Bringenberg says

    Posted on 6/11 at 10:12 am

    I have been enjoying Agua de Jamaica for several years since going to a Mexican restaurant where the proprietress gave me the recipe…bless her heart.

    Reply
  5. Gerardo Rodriguez says

    Posted on 1/13 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Isabel,
    I just tried your Agua de Jamaica and it’s delicious!. I just didn’t know here in Ameri ca we call it Hibiscus Tea until I followed your recipe. Growing up in Mexico until my teens Agua de Jamaica was one of my favorite summer drinks, so refreshing and thirst quenching as Limonada or Agua de Pepino. Well, I’m older now (62), and still enjoying such refreshing beverages.
    Isabel, I also heard that drinking Agua de Jamaica helps me dissolve kidney stones so I’m gonna give it a shot okay?, I will also follow all of your recipes since chile runs in my blood like a true Mexican.
    Keep cooking Isabel!
    Gerardo

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 1/17 at 12:29 pm

      Hi Gerardo! Thanks for using our recipes. We’re glad you enjoyed our Agua de Jamaica. It’s one of our favorites!

      Reply
  6. Lauren Pasket says

    Posted on 11/13 at 7:02 pm

    Where can I get hibiscus flowers? I want to grow my own.

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 1/17 at 2:56 pm

      Hi Lauren! I’m not really sure. You might try your local nursery, or the landscaping section of your local home improvement store like Lowe’s or Home Depot.

      Reply
  7. Penni says

    Posted on 10/19 at 1:27 pm

    Hi Isabel
    I was looking for a Jamaica recipe and found your site. Do you think this can be made in a water infuser pitcher instead of boiling in water? Would you increase or decrease the hibiscus flowers for that?
    Also you’ve got some other great recipes that I’m going to try. Carnitas and the Avocado salad will be first.
    Thank you.

    Reply
  8. Chris Diaz says

    Posted on 7/25 at 2:51 pm

    5 stars
    @isabeleats
    I make Hibiscus tea every day. Since I am a diabetic, I do not add sugar, but I sub 1-2 cups of diet tonic water for 1 or 2 cups of water in the pitcher plus add a cinnamon stick and a half lemon or lime. Very refreshing! My friends always requests my Hibiscus tea when over for dinner.

    Reply
    • Judit says

      Posted on 3/23 at 8:33 pm

      Hi, when you say cup ?. What do you mean a small cup or glass size.
      I need to drink it to help lower blood pressure.
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Helen says

        Posted on 4/18 at 12:06 am

        5 stars
        this is a nice basic concentrate. i’d recommend adding the sugar to taste while cooking the concentrate so the sugar can emulsify into the hot water. i’d also recommend serving with lime.

        Reply

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