I am curious about an herbal tea made only from hibiscus flowers.
I see them listed as a component of commercial herbal teas quite often.
We have a few hibiscus shrubs in our yard, Chinese Reds and Rose of Sharons, that bloom fairly regular throughout most of the year.
I'm considering collecting and drying their flowers to give it a try.
Hibiscus flowers are only open for about 24 hours before beginning to fade.
Everything I see about making a tea from them says or implies to use the flowers that are in full bloom.
I'm reluctant to pick the fresh in bloom flowers.
I enjoy their visual appearance too much.
I'm inclined to think that I could use the flowers that are approaching the end of their bloom cycle and are beginning to fade without loosing much, if any, quality as a tea.
Anyone with with first hand knowledge on this that can comment?