Davidson's Tea Bulk, Herb Pure Org Hibiscus Flowers, 16-Ounce Bag

I recently was in Central America and had some delicious Hibiscus iced tea. It was rosy, nicely tart, with a faint berry taste. I decided to see if I could recreate the tea so I bought 3 Hibiscus tea products which I'll compare here. Davidson's Tea Bulk, Herb Pure Org Hibiscus Flowers, 16-Ounce Bag .($13) The nice thing about Davidson's bulk hibiscus is that it is just that, flower petals (not in tea bags) in a plain brown bag and you can easily adjust the tea to your own taste. It isn't hard to make the tea, just throw 2-3 tsp into a cup and add boiling water. I didn't bother straining the petals, they tend to sink and you can eat them when you're done (but not much taste). The tea itself is very nice, great color, tart, but I had to play with it and add things to get it to where I really liked it: honey, some juice, citrus. I like the simplicity and purity of this product, even its plain brown paper bag. The bag is the size of a half gallon container so at 2-3 teaspoons per cup of tea, you'll probably get 100-200 cups out of it. (update: a year later and I still have this bag around, I've taken to adding a few petals from this bag to packaged hibiscus teas to add more flavor and color to them). In the Amazon reviews, a year ago, a couple of people complained about finding extra items in the bag (bird feathers) -- my bag was very clean. I figure when gathering flower petals some feathers may be hard to avoid and that adding boiling water sterilizes anything! Perhaps, tea, like laws and sausages, is best not to see being made. So I also bought some tea bags: The Republic of Tea, Natural Hibiscus, 36-Count ($15 here incl. shipping; $10 at Whole Foods). This tea contains: Hibiscus (flower), sweet blackberry (leaf), stevia (leaf). Of the three teas, I thought the Republic of Tea had the best flavor (although I hope to some day match it with the bulk Davidson's). On the downside, it is easily the most expensive of the three. Some reviewers didn't like that Stevia (a sweetener) was added to the tea. The tea itself didn't taste that sweet so I think the main objection is to Stevia itself. Stevia grows in Mexico and South America. The extract is said to be 30-300x's sweeter than common table sugar and it's not absorbed by our bodies. Therefore, it has 0 calories. It has been used in Japan since the 1970's and in South America for many centuries. Stevia was originally banned from use in the USA, reportedly because of health concerns raised in anonymous petitions that likely originated from competing businesses. Personally, I would have preferred not to have the Stevia in there and just add my own honey -- but the tea sure tastes good. I was least impressed by the Davidson's Tea Tulsi Hibiscus Flower, 100-Count Tea Bags $12, but then again I was looking for a true Hibiscus flavor. It was mostly a Tulsi tea and had little Hibiscus and almost no red color. I also thought the cinnamon in it was too strong and cloying. There is another Davidson's Hibiscus tea whose only ingredient is Hibiscus that comes in tea bags and is reasonably priced ($11 for 100) Davidson's Tea Hibiscus Flower, 100-Count Tea Bags I haven't tried it yet.

Fresh-dried whole hibiscus flowers with a wonderful scent and excellent potency. I use 1/4 cup to make a quart of cold brew (overnight) and the taste is excellent. The large bag will last me a long time. Excellent relaxation herb.

This is the second kind of tea I've gotten of Davidson's and I'm really happy with it. I'm going to stick with this brand. I've never had hibiscus tea before but it reminds me of vitamin water. It's yummy.

I mix this with green rooibos. It gives it a nice fruity kick. Highly recommend.

I have used various Davidson's teas in the past. This hibiscus tea has been the good quality I expect from that company. It is whole flowers, not chopped up petals and that is what I prefer. Good hibiscus tea can be very strong, so watch how much you use and how long you brew it for the right blend of flowery aroma and flowery/citrus taste. Also be away that bulk hibiscus tea is loaded with sand, so plan to filter it a few times through a very fine tea strainer. I mix brewed hibiscus tea half and half with brewed Japanese Sencha green tea for a combination that I enjoy. Each has its own health benefits as well as distinctive flavors. Since they take different water temperatures and different brewing times you need to brew them separately but for me it is worth the extra effort. I'm not thrilled with either as a separate plain tea, but that's my personal preference.

After 1 week blood pressure readings were 10-15 points lower. After 1 month readings are 20-30 points lower. (Also removed most salt & sugar from diet + started using Taurine supplement. Saw most dramatic results with tea.) I use about 10 petals (less than a TBSP) for a cup-3 X a day. (Whatever amount gives a deep red color.) As others stated, there is a very small amount of non-petal "debris" mixed in - small stems, etc. (The gritty substance seems to be tiny seeds, but not sure.) I just shake the bag contents in a collander to remove small stuff then pick out any other. Pour tea through a strainer before drinking. It's tart, so I add stevia. Per Davidson's Tea: Their hibiscus is grown in Egypt. "To protect the integrity of our ingredients, we screen for foreign materials, pests, proper sizing per approved specifications and heavy metal, which must pass stringent EPA and FDA levels. We also use a NOP approved sterilization treatment method as opposed to irradiation and ethylene oxide treatments, which compromise the quality and purity of the ingredients. These quality control measures and records begin in our receiving department and end in our shipping department, with strict controls all along the way."

I must say that I nearly passed on this tea because of some of the reviews. In the end, I decided to give it a try, because it is more affordable than some of the others. I can honestly say that I have no idea why anyone would complain about this product. These are not ground up pieces of junk that you get in tea bags, but rather, they are large pieces of flower petals. It is so pretty, that I put it in a clear glass apothecary jar, right out on my kitchen counter! I was also pleased that the bag seems larger than it looks in the picture. I purchased this to see if it will help lower my husband's blood pressure. That remains to be seen, but so far, we both are enjoying this delicious beverage. We used to drink gallons of regular sun-tea year-round. We have replaced that with this hibiscus tea. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the brewed tea is pretty too. It has the salmon-pink color of a blush wine - you almost want to serve it in wine glasses!

I am also trying out hibiscus tea because I have read that there are clinical trials that show hibiscus lowers blood pressure. I'm not sure how strong hibiscus tea is "supposed" to be, but about 10 petals in a coffee mug works for me. The tea produced is very strong and exceptionally sour which, personally, I love. I would say it's similar in taste to rhubarb which I also love. You can add a sugar or sugar alternative if you want, but I say it tastes great straight. I was expecting this to be a finely chopped powder, but as others have said, these are full petals (see my user added image). You don't really need to buy a tea strainer for this. I use a bombilla sometimes, Stainless Steel Spring Bombilla 1 Count , but really, it isn't necessary. Which is convenient for those of us who get lazy. Put petals in coffee mug, pour in water, microwave for 1:30, voila! Just throw away or eat petals when finished. (They have a nice texture to them after they've steeped for a few minutes). Other notes: the tea produced is a very deep and pretty magenta. If it spills on something white, like for example my shirt, it turns into an indigo stain. Would probably be good for and all-natural tie-dye. From Wikipedia: "A study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension has shown that drinking hibiscus tea can reduce high blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes. The study results showed the average systolic blood pressure for those drinking hibiscus tea decreased from 134.8 mmHg (17.97 kPa) at the beginning of the study to 112.7 mmHg (15.03 kPa) at the end of the study, one month later.[5] This is consistent with its supposed role as a diuretic."