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.

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.

Great taste and works very well for my blood pressure.

These flowers made a very flavorful and robust tea. I steep about 1/4 cup of the flowers in a quart of water. They are a very effective diuretic and also helped flush bacteria, quickly taking care of a UTI just starting. Tastes great with some honey or stevia. Way more cost effective than tea bags.

This makes an excellent tea. I infuse with fresh ginger root, fresh lemon and finish with locally sourced raw honey. Delicious hot or cold. Thank you for selling an excellent product.

We purchased this Davidson's Organic Hibiscus Loose Tea along with FGO Organic Hibiscus Tea bags. Both are good tasting (clean, crisp, aromatic, balanced) and both are high quality, no differentiation there. Price point is about the same too...@ $0.20 per serving. One produces a little darker red than the other (see photos).Bulk weight = 1 poundVolume = 14 cups (but condenses down to 5 cups when chopped/crunched)Servings = 80 (if serving is one tablespoon)All in all, comes down to taste preference and country of origin preference. This Davidson's is fully tart up front, albeit a very smooth tart while the FGO is lightly sweet. The Davidson's flowers are not clear where they are sourced from, but India seems to be the consensus while the FGO flowers are from Egypt.We're drinking about 3 cups daily to relax arteries for lower blood pressure. Personally, I find the maximized flavor point is just above room temperature.... but then again, my tasters are extra sensitive.Hibiscus Tea Conclusion = we will choose to buy the FGO brand because of the tea's sweetness and for the transparency of its sourcing, but there is nothing wrong with this Davidson's hibiscus loose tea.