Hibiscus Flowers Flor De Jamaica 8 Oz By El Sol De Mexico

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Price: $5.95 $5.21   

Product Feature

• Dried hibiscus flowers
• For making a tea that is high in vitamin C
• It is a mild and completely natural diuretic

Product Description

Dried hibiscus flowers. Hibiscus Petals. Also called Jamaica in Spanish or Flor de Jamaica.

Hibiscus Flowers Flor De Jamaica 8 Oz By El Sol De Mexico Review

The cost is reasonable. I buy this stuff in bulk at the flea market in my city where it costs me $6 per pound and they sell it from a small bin. This compares with the price it goes for retail (bulk) in Mexico ($3.75/pound or about 100 pesos/kg) in the major cities' open markets. This stuff is double that price plus shipping which seems reasonable to me considering it is packaged, handled and transported through the distribution chain, rather than dumped from a flea market bin where hygiene might be an issue for some.

I think, though that all the Mexico bulk, this stuff, and US bulk flea market stuff comes from the same place, and starts with the same hygiene, so, you might consider the Organic version sold by Amazon for one pound bulk USDA inspected Davidson's Herbal Pure Organic Hibiscus currently around $11. It actually comes out cheaper per pound to buy that, though you have to buy twice as much - you will use it - this "Corona Real" 8-ounce size is hardly anything. I buy 2-3 pounds at a time. Besides, the Organic stuff I'd go for qualifies for free Super Saver Shipping on your order, but this Corona Real stuff from the MexGrocer charges $6 shipping regardless, from a brokerage company that is into putting every cheap dried up product under the Sun and provides no quality information. So it might be a no-brainer to pay less for twice as much and get the organic product from an established company that makes specialty herbal teas their only business. (No I have nothing to do with them and didn't know about the competing product until Amazon's software recommended it to me and I checked it out).

Hibiscus has been widely consumed in the USA in the packaged tea market for a long time. It is the main ingredient of many Lipton, Celestial Seasonings, etc. herbal teas. In the US it is less common that people buy the leaves to seep directly - it is usually in the little packets put into hot water, so, there is nothing really exotic about it and no special significance other that some other cultures sell their teas more commonly in bulk.

Just an origin and ethnic clarification. This was a very popular drink in Florida over a hundred years ago for the Florida Crackers (special brand of American Southern settlers on the Florida frontier before air-conditioning, municipal water and sewage, the railroad, and mosquito control) where the juice producing dried calyces were widely grown and known as "Florida Cranberries".

This (Roselle) species of Hibiscus plant originally came from somewhere between Turkey and India, where the tea has been popular for thousands of years - and still is quite popular. The best is from Sudan, part of that ancient trading zone, where it is called karkade in Arabic, which is a very famous drink in Egypt, too, as well as throughout Europe where it is most commonly known by karkade. In Sudan the plant grows superbly and was the source of what was brought to the New World via Jamaica by the British/slave traders.

The flavor and properties are actually pretty similar to cranberries. The calyx is not flower petals, but rather the leaves which form specially shaped like a cup below it. The tea is made from these, not the flower petals, although when dehydrated it is difficult to tell what burgundy colored thing you are really looking at. The good and most nutritious tea is better made from fresh ones, but the dehydrated stuff is easier to market, though the resulting teas don't taste as well and is typically so over-sugared as to lose the taste (Much like cranberry cocktail).

Regarding the origin of the plant - It was not popular in Mexico before Florida, and the origin has nothing to do with Mexico. The species of Hibiscus is called the Roselle in English (also Jamaican Sorrel). But it is mostly borrowed from the Jamaican culture - ask any Jamaican. In Spain it is called Rosella. Options in the US were greater and the popularity waned in Florida by the 1930's when more tasty alternatives came to market. The plant itself is correctly called "Flor de Jamaica" since the name of the plant was not known when it started catching on. This lead to confusion and a widespread ignorant belief that there is a plant called "Jamaica". Such a plant doesn't exist. It is a reference to the island of Jamaica from where it was first imported into Florida as well as Mexico by the British.

In Jamaica the drink with spices is known as Sorrel and is the oldest Roselle Juice in the Americas and is very popular in Jamaica around the Xmas holidays. The name of the plant in vulgar Mexican is a simple translation of "The Flower of Jamaica", reflecting the fact that this Hibiscus has showy flowers, and does not refer to the flower part being used in the tea itself. The tea is properly called "Agua de Flor de Jamaica" in Mexico, which has been bastardized into "Agua de Jamaica" or simply "Jamaica" by many, but not all Mexicans. This is typical in Mexico; the normal related ornamental Hibiscus species (Chinese) seen in Southern US landscaping is called a "Tulip" in Mexico (because someone somewhere along the lines in Mexico confused it with the Dutch flower) to the embarrassment of Mexican botanists.

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Roselle Juice (Hibiscus Cooler, 'Flor de Jamaica' Tea, etc.)
To make the cooler (tea, more properly called an "infusion", etc.):

Per gallon:

1 cup (40 grams) Roselle calyces ('Flor de Jamaica' product)
7 heaping teaspoons (also 40 grams) of refined sugar
1 gallon drinking water plus a half cup of drinking water (to complete what's evaporated)

Variations:
(1) Up to four cups of the Roselle calyces (the Corona Real 'Flor de Jamaica' product) is used where I only use one. This will multiply the diuretic effects of the plant and it will be in greater concentrations than a typical herbal tea. My version may be watered down for some, but it is a more refreshing for quenching thirst and as an 'agua fresca'.

(2) If using only refined sugar as in the base recipe, seven heaping teaspoons (40 grams) per gallon of water is fine for me. It will result in a drink with just enough sweetness to be refreshing and enjoyable - not overpoweringly sweet. Other recipes will call for up to two cups of sugar per gallon, which is nearly a pound. This is the same amount of sugar in an equivalent amount of coca cola, and ten times the amount in this recipe. If you do this, 97% of what you drink is sugar, so the Hibiscus is basically a flavored sugar, like cola. It is interesting to note that savvy Mexican grandmothers who had access to this product 50 years ago will not be into the sugared down versions currently marketed to the younger generations! I've had that conversation several times ... They are most surprised by the syrupy consistency it gets from dumping all the sugar in. Some versions use Nutrisweet, etc., but then the taste just isn't the same.

(3) The more Roselle ('Flor de Jamaica') used the more sugar that is needed, since the extract is very acid. The rule is generally to keep the ratio in the recipe, which on a weight basis is 1:1. As with all plant phytochemicals it is smart not to overdo it as conflicting studies also have some subtle negative results from drinking quarts of this stuff.

(4) Boil only 3-5 minutes uncovered if you want lower product yield but slightly better antioxidant conservation for nutrition - but you need to use 1/3 more 'flor de Jamaica' if you do this, no add'l sugar).

(5) Brown sugar is fine. Molasses is a more nutritious sweetener than sugar, so you could put in the equivalent amount. The taste is slightly different but after getting used to it it is also great and gives more of an island flavor. You'll be tempted to add rum which would be quite good ... Sugarcane juice (guarape) also works great or if you can't get it, just go to your ethnic food section and use panela (panocha) brown sugar.

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Calories: : 10 calories
per 8 fl. oz. (240 mL) serving by this Roselle Juice (Agua de Flor de Jamaica) recipe.

Roselle Juice (Florida Cranberry Juice, Sorrel, Karkade, Agua de Flor de Jamaica)
Makes one gallon (16 one-cup servings)

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Put the Roselle calyces into the boiling water.
3. Allow to boil covered for 10 minutes.
4. Turn off heat and leave to steep 45 minutes to an hour.
5 Strain the spent Roselle calyx pulp out with a strainer.
6. Add sugar to the still warm liquid and mix well.
7. Pour into a plastic jug and allow to cool at room temperature.
(You can drink some at this point by adding ice to your cup)
8. When it reaches near room temperature (if there is any left), refrigerate.

Now, before you throw away those spent Hibiscus calyces ... it is worth saying that they make great Roselle Jelly or other sweets (also was popular in the Bahamas and Florida), so the Cooler isn't by any means the only use of this. You can make two things for the price of one. The Hibiscus naturally has more than enough pectin so it will form the jelly itself unless they are boiled to kingdom come!!! That's another recipe. Just blend the strained but not squeezed, spent calyces till they're pureed in about a cup and a half of water, boil till nearly half the water is gone and if necessary add small amount (less than a level teaspoon) of agar agar powder, or sugar or Stevia, or your favorite sweetner and then allow to cool and refrigerate. Cranberry juice can be used instead of the sweetner...

Best of Luck with the Roselle Juice and Roselle Jelly!

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