Short answer. Yes. There's no caffeine in karkade, at any strength, hot or cold.
People ask us this at the stall every single market day, usually holding a cup and squinting at it, because it's dark red and it looks like it should have something in it. It doesn't.
Why there's none in it
Caffeine comes from a handful of plants. Coffee, the tea plant Camellia sinensis, cacao, guarana, yerba mate. Black tea, green tea, white tea and oolong are all the same plant, picked and processed differently, which is why they all have caffeine.
Karkade isn't that plant. It's the dried calyx of Hibiscus sabdariffa, the fleshy red part that wraps the seed pod after the flower drops. It isn't a tea leaf at all. Calling it tea is a habit of language, not botany.
So no matter how long you steep it, how much you use, or whether you make it hot or cold, there's nothing there to extract. You can't make it strong in that sense. You can only make it darker and more sour.
What that means in practice
- It's fine at night. This is the main reason people switch to it.
- Kids can drink it. It's what gets poured for everyone at a Sudanese wedding, all ages.
- It's fine on game day and after a late training session. More on that here.
- It won't help you stay awake. If you're after that, this is the wrong drink.
- Sweetening it is up to you. We make it on the sweeter side because that's how it's served at home, but the dried bag lets you decide.
What's actually in it
Our dried karkade is one ingredient. Whole dried hibiscus calyces, product of Sudan, sifted by hand and packed here in Western Sydney. Nothing added, no flavouring, no colour, no sugar.
In our bottles it's that, cold water and sugar, plus the fruit in the flavoured ones. Unsweetened has no sugar at all. That's the whole recipe and there's nothing clever about it.
The sour isn't caffeine
Worth saying, because it confuses people. Karkade has a sharp edge to it, and a strong jug can feel like it has a kick. That's acidity, not stimulation. Hibiscus is tart, the same way a cranberry is tart. If it's too sharp for you, let it down with more water or lift the sugar. It isn't doing anything to your nervous system.
How we make it
Cold, and slowly. Put the dried calyces in cold water and leave them overnight. By morning it's dark and thick and too strong to drink on its own, which is correct. Strain it, sweeten to taste, then let it down with cold water until it tastes right to you, and pour it over ice.
Hot works if you're in a hurry, the way you'd make a cup of tea, but it won't go as deep. The full method is here.
Where to get it
We sell the dried calyces by the bag and post them anywhere in Australia, free over $100. A 300g bag makes about 20 litres, call it 80 glasses, which works out around 26c a glass. Dried karkade hibiscus.
Or order six packs from $21 and we'll deliver them across Sydney, free over $100.
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.