Pitcher of tea

Every good southern girl keeps a pitcher of tea in the fridge. In my fridge in Carolina del Norte, it's unsweetened tea. In a pitcher that belonged to my grandmother. Each week, I rotate which grandmother's pitcher I use. Here, my 'pitcher of tea' is agua de jamaica. Hibisicus flower tea. In the mercado, supermercado, on the street, you can buy big bags of hibiscus blossoms, faded to a dark red in their dried form. I heat a pot of water, add a fistful of the blossoms, and let it steep. Just like tea, without the little bag around the leaves. It's a little bitter for my taste, so I add a little sugar. Not the refined white stuff we buy by the 5 pound bag in the States, but a local sugar made from the cane. The flavor is deeper than brown sugar, it has more...body? I can't explain. But, I can tell you it's hard as a brick! The vendors make big Christmas tree-shaped displays in their booths in the mercado. This cone will outlast my stay here, unfortunately.

I'd like to see where and how the piloncilla is made. If I find a factura, I'll let you know.