Recipe: Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea Pops by Poptimism

You’re never too old for a popsicle, ya’ll. This summer, elevate the classic childhood treat with your favorite Big Heart Tea Co. tea infused ice pops. Our chef-created Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea Pops are sweet enough to share with the kids and fresh enough to impress your besties at your front porch hang or weekend cook out.

Pop Sensation

Kaylen Wissinger is a pop queen. She got her start selling cupcakes at the Tower Grove Farmers Market using locally sourced produce to give people the fresh new flavors they didn’t know they needed. Her boundless creativity and natural brilliance in the kitchen led her to open Whisk: a sustainable bakeshop in St. Louis. From used kitchen equipment to packaging, Kaylen has prioritized flavor without any compromise to the planet. This babe like, never stops experimenting and found herself creating popsicles that didn’t fit the mold. Poptimism, her newest work of genius, is an artisan popsicle company that impresses kiddos and foodies alike. 

Big Hearted Besties

Big Heart Tea Co. CEO, Lisa Govro, and Kaylen have been friends since the beginning. Big Heart has always believed in the power of supporting other women and the friendship between Lisa and Kaylen is a perfect example. When the two first met back in the ReTrailer days, IFYKYK, Kaylen didn’t like tea (we’re all on a journey, right?). Now she’s creating gourmet tea popsicles, ya’ll. It is a small example of the big idea that an open mind with friends is always good for business. 

Even as a new tea drinker, Kaylen became the first wholesale customer for your babes at Big Heart Tea Co. She and Lisa shared a kitchen at St. Patrick Center and the two worked the Tower Grove Farmers Market together for five years: Lisa selling tea from the ReTrailer while Kaylen sold cupcakes from her booth. In fact, you can still find Whisk Bakery treats and Poptimism popsicles at the Tower Grove Farmers Market. Keep your eye open for Lisa, she’ll be the one with a popsicle in each hand. 

Popsicle 101

Popsicles got their start the way so many acts of genius are born: an eleven-year-old boy didn’t pick up after himself. In 1905, Frank Epperson left a cup full of flavored soda and a wooden stir stick on his porch overnight during a cold spell in the San Francisco Bay Area. Delighted by his discovery the next morning, the young entrepreneur recreated his accidental experiment and started selling them to neighbors. Over a century later, we’re still super into the popsicle. Instead of soda water on the front porch, we suggest an easy homemade tea ice pop. 

Give Me Popsicles, but Make Them Gourmet

Our babe Kaylen and Poptimism take all the parts of a popsicle your eleven-year-old self loves and give you all the things your grown up self expects from a dessert. Using whole ingredients and leaving out the weird additives and dyes, Poptimism pops highlight interesting flavor combinations from locally sourced produce. She’s crafted honeysuckle pops from Missouri’s ever growing supply of honeysuckle and  rhubarb pops from Yellow Tree Farm. She’s even created a provel pop, inspired by St. Louis style pizza. That’s local love, ya’ll. 

Her pops are handmade in small batches in the most sustainable way possible because caring for the environment is always cool.

Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea Pops Recipe

Tools Needed:

• Popsicle mold or trays - we really like these if you’re in the market for a classic pop and these if you’re going for something more fanciful.
• Stabilizer - because our recipe is plant based, it needs a little somethin’ somethin’ to firm up in the freezer. 
• Mesh Strainer

Ingredients:

• 12 g loose leaf Big Heart Tea Co. Blushing
• 6 c water
• 1 c sugar
• 1 c pomegranate juice

1. Bring water to a gentle boil (185 degrees). Add Tea and let steep for 5 minutes.
2. Strain tea leaves through a mesh strainer and discard. 
3. Add sugar and whisk until dissolved.
4. Add pomegranate juice.
5. Cool liquid completely in the fridge before pouring into molds and placing in the freezer until fully formed (around 8 hours or overnight).

About Poptimism

Homemade tea ice pops are a perfect summer recipe, but we recognize not every babe wants to DIY their pops. If you’re local to St. Louis, you can find Poptimism treats and other Whisk baked goods at the Tower Grove Farmers Market. Starting in Spring 2021, Poptism will also work it at the City Foundry. Check out the Poptimism website for Toto, the sweetest little popsicle truck in town. If ya’ll aren’t St. Louis locals, you should plan a trip and hit up all the popsicles stands. 

Friendship is the Coolest

Big Heart Tea Co. is a babe run and owned business. We believe that the best tea is friendly which is why we prioritize directly sourced ingredients and get them into your cup as sustainably as possible. We’ve also discovered that when we support other women in the industry, like our girl Kaylen, it doesn’t keep us from climbing the ladder, it just ensures we have some friends at the top when we get there.