Although generally the "juice" is sweetened and chilled, it is technically an infusion and when served hot can also be referred to as hibiscus tea.

[1] It can also be served with any flavouring of one's choice — sometimes with orange essence or ginger, pineapple juice, cloves, tea grass, vanilla, and many others.

Other ingredients used in making zobo drink include nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, lime, pineapple and artificial colours.

[24][25] There are two types of preservatives used in production of zobo tea, the natural ones are the nutmeg, lime and cloves which keeps the drink fresh .

[16][26] Sodium benzoate at a concentration of 0.1% or mixture of citric acid and magnesium sulfate are the chemical compounds used in preserving zobo drink for a longer time and make it carbon-free.

The artificial preservatives are neutralized with fruit juice in order to conserve the sour taste of the leaf during production.