You do not steep the flower but the fleshy red part left behind when it falls: a deep red infusion, tart and refreshing.
Recipe
- Temperature 100 °C · 212 °F
- Plants 2.5 g
- Water 250 ml
- First steep 5:00
- Each next steep +1:00
- Steeps 2
Lore
This hibiscus has been grown in Sudan for thousands of years, first for its seeds, then its leaves, and only later for the red part that is dried and steeped. It is called karkadé in Egypt and Sudan, and bissap in Senegal. It is drunk hot in winter and iced in summer, and it is one of the few tisanes you recognise by its colour before you taste it.