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Hibiscus tea, when served hot, or roselle juice, when served cold, is an infusion made from the crimson or deep magenta-colored calyces (sepals) of the roselle flower (''Hibiscus sabdariffa''). It is consumed both hot and cold and has a tart, strong cranberry-like flavor.

The drink made out of the flowers of ''Hibiscus sabdariffa'' has many regional variations and names: it is known as bissap in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea and Senegal; wonjo in The Gambia; zobo in Nigeria; sobolo in Ghana; foléré, dabileni, tsobo, siiloo or soborodo in different parts of Africa; karkadé in Egypt, Sudan, Palestine and Italy; sorrel in the Caribbean; and agua de Jamaica in Mexico. Although generally called a "juice", due to its being sweetened and chilled, it is technically an infusion, and when served hot is called "hibiscus tea".

Description

In juice form, it is often taken refrigerated; Hibiscus or roselle juice is a dark, purple-red drink usually found cold in many West African countries and the Caribbean. The Burkinabes, Senegalese, and Ivorians call it bissap. It tastes a bit grapey and a little like cranberry juice and can be served with mint leaves. It can also be served with any flavouring of one's choice — sometimes with orange essence or ginger, pineapple juice, cloves, tea grass, vanilla, and many others. In Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, roselle juice is served cold, while in Egypt, it is served warm.

Consumption

Africa

The roselle hibiscus used to make the tea likely originated in Africa. In Africa, hibiscus tea is commonly sold in markets and the dried flowers can be found throughout West and East Africa. Variations on the drink are popular in West Africa and parts of Central Africa. In Senegal, '' bissap'' is known as the "national drink of Senegal". Hibiscus tea is often flavored with mint or ginger in West Africa. In Ghana it is known as "sobolo", and "zobo" in Nigeria.

''Karkadé'' ( ) is served hot or chilled with ice. It is consumed in some parts of North Africa, especially in Egypt and Sudan. In Egypt and Sudan, wedding celebrations are traditionally toasted with a glass of hibiscus tea. On a typical street in central Cairo, many vendors and open-air cafés sell the drink.

In Sudan, people use hibiscus tea, or karkadé, in folk medicine to treat many health conditions. Pharmaceutical researchers who have studied specimens from Sudan have suggested that its efficacy may relate to its anthocynanins, chemicals that can boost immune responses and combat inflammation, diabetes, cancer, and viral infections.

Americas

''Agua de flor de Jamaica'', also called ''agua de Jamaica'' and ''rosa de Jamaica'', is popular in Mexico, Central America, and parts of South America and the Caribbean. It is one of several common ''aguas frescas'', which are inexpensive beverages typically made from fresh juices or extracts. Jamaica and other ''aguas frescas'' are commonly found in taquerias or other Mexican restaurants. It is usually prepared by steeping the calyces in boiling water, straining the mixture, pressing the calyces (to squeeze all the juice out), adding sugar, and stirring. It is served chilled, and in Jamaica, this drink is a tradition at Christmas, served with fruitcake or sweet potato pudding.

In Panama, both the flowers and the drink are called ''saril'' (a derivative of the English word ''sorrel''). It is prepared by picking and boiling the calyces with chopped ginger, sugar, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It is traditionally drunk around Christmas and Chinese New Year. This diverges from Mexico and Central America and is much more in line with the Caribbean, due to the strong West Indian influence in Panamanian culture; especially in Panama City and most of Panama's Caribbean coast.

In the English-speaking Caribbean, the drink, called sorrel, is made from the calyces, and it is considered an integral part of Christmas celebrations. The Caribbean Development Company, a Trinidad and Tobago brewery, produces a Sorrel Shandy in which the tea is combined with beer.

In American soul food cuisine, hibiscus tea is included in a category of "red drinks" associated with West Africa. Such red drinks, now usually carbonated soft drinks, are commonly served in soul food restaurants and at African-American social events.

Southeast Asia

In Thailand, most commonly, roselle is prepared as a cold beverage, heavily sweetened and poured over ice, similar to sweetened fruit juices. Plastic bags filled with ice and sweetened 'grajeab' can be found outside most schools and in local markets. It is less commonly made into a wine. It is sometimes combined with Chinese tea leaves, in the ratio of 4:1 by weight ( Chinese tea). The beverage is consumed in Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia as well.

Europe

In Italy, hibiscus tea, known as ''carcadè'' or ''karkadè'' (from the Arabic word ), is usually consumed hot, often with the addition of sugar and lemon juice or orange slices. First introduced from Eritrea, it was widely used as a tea substitute when the country was hit by trade sanctions for its invasion of Abyssinia. In other European countries, it is often used as an ingredient in mixed herbal tea (especially with malva flowers or rose hips in the mix, to enhance colouring), and as such, it is more commonly used than recognized.

Research

Reviews have suggested that hibiscus tea consumption appears to modestly lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. Hibiscus tea was generally well tolerated, and did not adversely affect liver or kidney function at lower doses, but may be hepatotoxic at high doses.

Health benefits

Roselle juice, which acts as a diuretic, has been shown to regulate blood pressure and reduce hypertension. It also has high levels of vitamin C, so is used to treat the common cold and otherwise boost the immune system. Some studies have also shown antimicrobial activity.

Zobo

Zobo is a local beverage drink in Nigeria. It is made from dried hibiscus leaf and other ingredients. The drink is commonly sold in restaurants and on roadsides.

Overview

Hibiscus drink is made by boiling the hibiscus leaf alongside ginger, garlic for less than an hour. It is served hot or chilled depending on the weathered condition of the area it was produced. Other ingredients used in making zobo drink include nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, lime, pineapple and artificial colours. The particles are sieved leaving behind the zobo juice. The roselle drink has flavour similar to cranberry juice and it is ruby red in colour.

The zobo drinks are packaged in clean bottles which can be sealed to prevent spoilage.

''Hibiscus sabdariffa''

This is the major ingredient used in making zobo drink. It is a leafy vegetable similar to spinach that originates from West Africa. ''Hibiscus sabdariffa'', also known as roselle, is an annual herb that can be planted all year round especially between November and the April of the next year.

Hibiscus sabdariffa is otherwise known as spinach dock, sour grass, or sour grabs.

Other names

Zobo drink is also known as hibiscus tea, hibiscus drink and roselle drinks because the beverage drink is gotten from hibiscus leaves. Also it is known as local Chapman since other fruits and artificial colours are added. Due to the sour taste of zobo drink, it is referred to as sour tea as well.

Preservatives

There are two types of preservatives used in production of zobo tea, the natural ones are the nutmeg, lime and cloves which keeps the drink fresh.

Sodium benzoate at a concentration of 0.1% or mixture of citric acid and magnesium sulfate are the chemical compounds used in preserving zobo drink for a longer time and make it carbon-free. The artificial preservatives are neutralized with fruit juice in order to conserve the sour taste of the leaf during production.

References

Further reading

Information about Roselle
by J. Morton (1987), part of the New Crop Resource Online Program at Purdue University

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