Bright Afternoon Herbal Teas With Hibiscus, Rooibos and Mint

A bright cup for the afternoon

Mid-afternoon is when many people reach for something to sip. Cups made from flowers, fruit, and leaves bring colour and flavour without tea leaves. Hibiscus, rose hips, peppermint, and spearmint are single herbs, not tea leaves. The rooibos blends and Root Beer tea in this guide are each labelled caffeine free on their product pages.

These are bold flavours. Hibiscus is tart, mint is cool and clean, and the rooibos blends lean sweet and mellow. All of them work hot on a grey day or iced on a warm one.

The tart reds: hibiscus and rose hips

Hibiscus

Hibiscus sabdariffa, also called roselle, is a member of the mallow family with vibrant red flowers. Mountain Rose Herbs calls the brew cooling and refreshing, and notes it can be quite tart, so it is common to add a natural sweetener whether you drink it hot or iced. In Mexico, a hibiscus drink known as agua de Jamaica is usually served chilled with plenty of sugar. Hibiscus teas are also popular across Latin America and North Africa. The flowers are used to dye fabric, so wipe up spills quickly. The product page lists India and Egypt as origins and showed it as out of stock on Oct 23, 2026.

Rose hips

Rose hips are the fruit of the rose. They form as the flowers drop off, appear in early summer, and ripen into late autumn. These organic rose hips come from Rosa canina and Rosa rubiginosa, with Lesotho and Chile listed as origins. They have a tart flavour and are used in jelly, jam, and soup, or steeped as tea. The product page also shares a bit of history: during World War II, the British government made collected rose hips into rose hip syrup to stand in for citrus fruits that were impossible to get. Today they make an easy partner for hibiscus in a fruity red cup.

The cool greens: peppermint and spearmint

The product page calls peppermint's aroma the world's most familiar "mint scent." Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) is a natural hybrid of spearmint and water mint, and this leaf is organically cultivated in the United States. Beyond tea, it is muddled into cocktails, and in Middle Eastern cooking it is added to spice rubs for lamb and blended with yogurt, beans, and cheese.

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) is a hardy perennial with bright green, serrated leaves, first native to the Mediterranean. It is most often brewed on its own or added to herbal blends as an uplifting note. Either mint adds a cool finish to a glass of hibiscus.

Rooibos and root beer blends

Three ready-made blends make the afternoon easy. Each product page states the blend is caffeine free.

• Coconut Rooibos combines red rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) with coconut flakes, acai berry powder, and coconut flavouring. The page describes a bold aroma with a sweet, floral taste and subtle coconut notes. It uses a smaller measure: 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, and the page invites you to experiment with steep time and amount.
• Orange Cream Rooibos mixes organic and fair-trade red rooibos with orange peel, hibiscus, rose hips, and vanilla flavouring. Mountain Rose Herbs describes it as delicious unsweetened, and that a sweetener mellows the citrus and brings out its orange and vanilla flavour. It is described as perfect any time of day, hot or iced.
• Root Beer tea blends birch leaf, sweet cinnamon chips, ginger root, chaga mushrooms, licorice root, dandelion root, and root beer flavouring. Expect an herbaceous aroma with rooty notes, earthy undertones, and hints of sweet, spicy ginger. The name root beer refers to the root of the sassafras tree, though this blend does not list sassafras. The page notes that root beer syrup started appearing in confectioners around 1840.

How to make iced herbal tea

The single-herb pages do not list brewing steps, so the methods below are general kitchen guidance. For amounts, start with the ratio most of these blend pages give: 1 tablespoon per 8 ounces of water, or 1 teaspoon for Coconut Rooibos. Multiply it to fill your pitcher.

Brew hot, then chill

1. Pour boiling water over the herbs and steep 3 to 5 minutes, as the blend pages direct.
2. Strain, stir in any sweetener while the tea is warm, and let it cool before it goes in the fridge.
3. Serve over ice. Ice melts into the glass, so you can brew a little stronger than usual.

Slow fridge steep

1. Put the herbs in a large tea bag, a strainer, or a pitcher with a built-in filter.
2. Add room temperature or chilled water, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3. Strain, taste, and sweeten if you like.

This method uses the fridge, not a sunny windowsill. Keep homemade iced tea in the fridge, and make small batches you will finish soon.

Build a pitcher

A good pitcher pairs something tart with something cool or sweet. Use the table as a starting point, then adjust to taste.