One-Burner Hot Hibiscus Ginger Tea with Orange and Cinnamon
Simmer sliced fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel in 5 cups of water on a single camp stove burner for 5 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, steep dried hibiscus flowers for 5 to 6 minutes, strain, then stir in honey and lime. Total time is about 25 minutes and it makes 4 mugs.
Hibiscus tea is bright, tart and a deep ruby red. Hot, it's a good change from coffee on a cold morning. Ginger gives it a little bite, and orange and cinnamon round it out.
It uses one pot and one burner, and the dry ingredients pack down small. Pre-bag the hibiscus and spices at home and you only need water and a knife at camp. It's caffeine-free, so it works as a pre-bed drink too.
One-Burner Hot Hibiscus Ginger Tea with Orange and Cinnamon
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- High to a boil, then low flame
- Pack weight
- 1 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- No cooler needed
- One burner
- Some water
- One-pan cleanup
- Shelf-stable
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- 1-burner camp stove
- 2-quart pot with lid
- fine-mesh strainer
- small knife
- 4 mugs
- long spoon
Steps
-
Prep the aromatics
Slice the ginger into thin coins. Peel 3 strips of zest from the orange with a knife, avoiding as much white pith as you can.
-
Boil the water
Pour 5 cups of water into the pot and bring it to a full rolling boil on high. If your water comes from a stream or lake, filter it first and boil it for at least 1 minute (3 minutes above 6,500 feet).
-
Simmer the spices
Add the ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel. Turn the flame to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
-
Steep the hibiscus
Turn off the burner and stir in the hibiscus flowers. Cover and steep for 5 to 6 minutes. Go longer and it turns very tart.
-
Strain into mugs
Pour the tea through a fine-mesh strainer into mugs or a second pot. Pour slowly and keep the pot handle away from your hand.
-
Sweeten and serve
Stir in the honey and lime juice, then taste. Add more honey a teaspoon at a time until the tartness suits you. Drink it hot.
Trail Notes
At home, bag the hibiscus, cinnamon stick and cloves together and wrap the honey in a second bag. At camp you only need to add ginger, orange and water.
No fresh ginger? Use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger, added with the hibiscus instead of simmered. No orange? A strip of lemon peel works. Honey should not be given to children under 1 year old, so use sugar for them.
Make it the same way, let it cool, and pour it into a bottle. Chill in the cooler or a creek-cooled bag, then serve over ice. It keeps about 3 days in a cold cooler.
Pack out the strained hibiscus, ginger, peel and cloves with your trash. Scatter strained dishwater at least 200 feet from water sources. Hibiscus stains, so rinse mugs soon.
Campers ask
Can I make hibiscus tea on a camp stove?
Yes. Boil water in a pot, add the dried flowers off the heat and steep for 5 to 6 minutes. Strain before drinking.
Does hibiscus tea have caffeine?
No. It's made from dried flower petals, not tea leaves, so it's naturally caffeine-free.
How do I strain tea at a campsite without a teapot?
Pour it through a small fine-mesh strainer into your mug. You can also put the hibiscus in a reusable tea bag or a clean cotton cloth before steeping.
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