Kenyan Purple Tea

$19.50

Our purple tea is the result of a special tea varietal developed and grown uniquely in Kenya.

This rare and unique Kenyan tea is said to have both black and green tea characteristics while boasting nearly twice the antioxidants of other teas.

The purple tea itself is a dark colour, however, when brewed the leaves look almost green, with a slightly purplish tinge to the liquor. It is delicately sweet and woodsy with an astringency similar to unripe blackberries or plums.

Although some purple tea exists in India and China, Kenyan Tea Research Institute has officially named the varietal TRFK 306. It was developed to carve out a new niche for Kenyan tea farmers to help invigorate the economy. Purple tea production is still not widespread and it is known colloquially as purple tea due to the purple-reddish leaves which are caused due to high levels of anthocyanins.

The same antioxidants that give colour to foods like blackberries, blueberries, grapes, red cabbage and other red/purple foods their colour. The anthocyanins in purple tea are around 1.5% and to compare that to something we do know in blueberries it is around 0.1%

A little-known tea varietal from the slopes of Mt. Kenya is the latest addition to the N&S limited collection, a rare tea that we’ve called Kenyan Purple.

Brew this at 90˚c for a sweeter brew. Best without milk and for a bit extra try a squeeze of lemon.