Karkade is what Sudanese families pour when someone walks through the door. Weddings, Ramadan, a hot afternoon with nothing particular happening. It isn't a health drink back home and it isn't a trend. It's just there, the way tea is there in England.
It's made from the dried calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa. Not the petal, which is what most people assume. The calyx is the fleshy cup that holds the flower, and when the flower drops that's what gets picked, seeded and dried. Steeped in water it gives a deep red drink, sharp and clean, with no caffeine in it at all.
The same plant is drunk almost everywhere under a different name. Karkade in Sudan and Egypt. Bissap in Senegal. Agua de Jamaica in Mexico. Sorrel in the Caribbean, poured at Christmas. Rosella in Australia, where it mostly ends up as jam. One plant, a dozen cultures that each think of it as theirs.
The measure, and why it still moves
We use 100g to a litre. That's what we'd tell you to start with at home.
It's a lot of flower and we say so on purpose. We'd rather tell you what we actually put in it than quote you a teaspoon and let you work out later that the cup is weak.
It still moves, though, and it's worth saying why. Karkade is a crop. It grows in a field in western Sudan, rain fed, next to the sesame and the sorghum. Some seasons come in deep and heavy, some come in lighter. The same 100g won't give you the same cup twice a year apart. Start there, taste it, and adjust.
Cold, not hot
This is the part most recipes get wrong.
You can make hibiscus tea with boiling water the way you'd make any cup of tea, and if you're in a hurry, do that. It works. But it doesn't go as deep, and it isn't how it's made at home.
The Sudanese way is cold and slow. Cold water pulls the colour and the flavour out over hours instead of minutes, and what you end up with is thicker, darker and rounder. Less sharp on the edge. It's worth the wait and the wait is only overnight.
The method
- Steep it strong. 100g of dried calyces to a litre of cold water, in a jar, covered, overnight. In the morning it should be dark, almost black at the centre of the jar.
- Strain it. What you have now is the base, not the drink. Taste it. It should be too strong and too sharp to drink on its own. That's correct. If it's pleasant at this stage you haven't used enough.
- Sweeten it. Sugar, to taste, while you stir. Don't skip this and then decide you don't like karkade. Unsweetened it's a very different drink and it isn't the one anyone's pouring in Khartoum.
- Let it down. Add cold water until it tastes right to you. Some people want it sharp, some want it soft. Both are correct and there's no wrong answer here.
- Over ice. That's it. And keep the calyces, they'll go again.
The first batch teaches you the measure for your own bag. After that you won't think about it again.
How far a bag goes
A 300g bag makes about 20 litres of drink, call it 80 glasses. A 600g bag makes about 40 litres, and a 1.2kg bag about 79.
Those are litres of finished drink, not base. You steep it heavy at 100g a litre, let it down with cold water until it tastes right, and run the calyces a second time. That's how a kilo comes out around 66 litres.
Eighty glasses out of a $21 bag works out at about 26c a glass, against $4.50 for a bottle. That's the reason people who taste it end up buying the bag.
What to look for when you buy it
Whole calyces, not cut, not powdered, not a teabag full of dust. You want to be able to see the shape of them. Colour is how you judge the grade, and a deep red is what you're after.
The other thing, and nobody talks about this, is what else is in the bag. Dried hibiscus arrives with stalks, seed, split calyx and a lot of dust. Sorting that out is slow work and most people selling it don't bother, because the customer can't tell until they open it.
We sift ours and pick it by hand. It costs us yield and it's the reason ours isn't the cheapest bag of dried flowers you can find. More on buying dried hibiscus in Australia.
Making it with the fruit ones
Once you have the base, it takes anything. Lemon and mint is the one most people know. Cranberry and pineapple is sharper and more tropical. Add the fruit to the base before you let it down with water, and give it an hour in the fridge to come together.
Where to get it
We sell dried karkade by the bag, product of Sudan, packed in Western Sydney. Have a look here. It posts anywhere in Australia, free over $100, or come and taste it first at a market before you commit to a bag. We'd rather you tried it than took our word for it.
Don't want to make it? Six packs from $21, delivered across Sydney.
What are you after?
- Six packs, from $21, delivered across Sydney.
- Dried hibiscus, posted Australia wide.
- Catering for a club day or event.
- Wholesale for cafes and shops.
Hibiscus can interact with some blood pressure medication and isn't recommended in large amounts during pregnancy. If that's you, ask your doctor first.