Purple Tea of Kenya

Tea type
Tea
Ingredients
Not available
Flavors
Chicken Soup
Sold in
Not available
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Not available
Edit tea info Last updated by Kittenna
Average preparation
180 °F / 82 °C 3 min, 30 sec 10 oz / 283 ml

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26 Tasting Notes View all

  • “Brewed this as recommended today, and am definitely getting green tea-like flavours. I love how the liquor isn’t a typical tea colour though, kind of a strange purpley-greenish tone. Very unique. I...” Read full tasting note
    84
  • “I don’t recall trying a purple tea before so I have no means for comparison but I’m looking forward to a new experience. The closest thing I have tried is Kenyan black tea which I remember to be...” Read full tasting note
    94
  • “I’m a little puzzled, this was a great tea but I’m not getting much of what anybody else is noticing. It’s a bit claylike, with that drying sensation I get with wines sometimes. Reminds me of...” Read full tasting note
  • “I mostly purchased this tea for the novelty factor as this is the first I’ve heard of purple tea. It sounds vaguely gimicky to me, but whatever. I may have used too much leaf as it was only after...” Read full tasting note
    73

From Butiki Teas

While still Camellia sinensis, purple tea is a new varietal that is propagated by grafting and cutting as opposed to seeding. This particular varietal is known as TRFK 306/1 and is rich in anthocyanin (a flavonoid), which pigments the leaves a purplish color. Purple tea was primarily developed for tea health products and is rich in antioxidants. Malvidin, Pelargonidin and Delphinidin are prominent in purple tea. The purple species has been in development for 25 years in Kenya and is more resistant to frost, disease, drought, and pests. Our Purple Tea of Kenya is processed similar to green tea; however, when experimenting with different temperatures and times it can take on qualities similar to a green, oolong or black tea and can range from very mellow vegetal notes to astringent red wine-like qualities. We highly recommend experimenting with 160F, 180F, and boiling water temperatures and recommend steeping the tea between 3 and 5 minutes.

Recommended Brew Time: 3 to 5 minutes
Recommended Amount: 1/2 teaspoon of tea for 8oz of water
Recommended Temperature: 160 F, 180 F, or 212 F

For more information, please visit http://www.butikiteas.com

About Butiki Teas View company

Company description not available.

26 Tasting Notes

87
294 tasting notes

I have to admit I only received a small sample so I will do the best I can to give a decent analysis. I went by Butikis instructions. I do not know if the water was exactly 160. I think it’s time to invest in a thermometer. I assumed the 3 to 5 minute steep would be appropriate. I let it go for maybe 5 minutes. The first second or two into the steep the liquor was a slight purple but soon became more amber. The end result was a delicious brew. I am not doing cartwheels but lets just say it’s something totally different and refreshing. In order to make a better review I would definitely need more tea to play with. This tea is to me a curiosity. After the first cup I am feeling very good. Even in what i would consider to be a weak amount of tea. So for cup 2 I am going to do as Mr. Norman does and boiling the ever loving you know what out of it. It’s now very light and not as enjoyable as the 1st. I know this is fine tea. The moral of this tale is to have ample leaf….

Charles Thomas Draper

PS. This was brewed Western Basket Style….

Kashyap

curious

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180 tasting notes

First infusion 4min @ boiling: Smells really unique – almost like musty asparagus. (Not that asparagus can really get musty, but you know, I’d imagine this is what it would smell like if it did.) Color is a really fun golden purple; as if someone mixed apple juice with watered-down grape juice. Tastes… burnt? Maybe ‘roasty’ is a better word. It’s possible that I under-leafed, as I’m getting only a mild taste. I’m not noticing any astringency while it’s piping hot. Wait… now that’s it’s cooled off, it is getting a little astringent.

Second infusion 5min @ 180: Probably would have made more sense to do the lower temp first, but was early in the morning, and logic escaped me. Color is lighter, like a muddy gold. I guess it could be perceived as having a lavender tint, but honestly I wonder if that’s just because I’m looking really hard for something “purple.” The smell is faintly sweet, rather than asparagus-y. I think I like this cup better than the first. It’s a subtle flavor – tastes like a green and black tea blend. I used less water this time around, but it’s still pretty weak (due in part to boiling first, I’m sure) so I don’t think I’ll bother with a third steep.

Overall, this is a very drinkable tea. I’m glad I got the chance to sample it!

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91
348 tasting notes

I absolutely love notching a unique tea off my list. I’d been looking for Kenyan Purple Tea for over half a year, and Butiki was one of the ONLY suppliers of the stuff. It lives up to its experimental moniker; as in, it’s a hard one to classify. Part green tea, part oolong, and oddly tisane-ish on taste. I had a tough time coming up with a label. I tried three different temperatures to see which one I liked best. Boiling the ever-loving s**t out of it seemed to fit my palate the best. All in all, though, I really liked it and look forward to more like it in the future.

Full Review: http://lazyliteratus.teatra.de/2011/11/09/four-eyed-no-horned-flightless-purple-tea-drinker/

Preparation
Boiling 5 min, 0 sec

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94
80 tasting notes

Drank my sampler of this boiling hot, and quite quickly. I had enough to steep in 200 ml.
Don’t take my word for it as I have a cold, but the dry leaves ressemble that of black tea, the liquor green, the smell oolong, and the taste is a nice wrap-up of the all the aforementioned. More precisely an astringent black, combining the grassiness of green and the thickness of oolong. Also, is it weird that I find this fruity?

Preparation
205 °F / 96 °C 4 min, 0 sec
Butiki Teas

I’ve heard strawberry and mulberry before for fruitiness. I find this to be a very unusual tea. It can be brewed at multiple temperatures and times and seems to take on the qualities of a green, black or oolong depending on how it is brewed. I highly recommend experimenting with different brewing styles.

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1711 tasting notes

I was curious about purple tea and saw that Butiki had a few options. The blends sounded good, but I wanted to get an idea of the tea type on it’s own before trying it flavored. This tea looked black when I put it in the infuser, but looked green when it was done steeping. The leaves look ground and a bit of the powder settled at the bottom of my cup. When I first took a sip it felt sencha like at the front of my mouth but changed into something else in the back. I’m getting an almost wheatgrass juice feel aftertaste. It tastes a little greener as it cools and I think I like the flavor better when it is hot. So far I’m puzzled and intrigued! I’ll be trying more of this soon!

Preparation
175 °F / 79 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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79
1146 tasting notes

This was a sample with my last order. I was really excited to try it, admittedly in large part because of the novelty. I like it, but I’m not blown away – though that might be because I haven’t experimented with it enough.

The dry leaves smell fruity. The brewed tea also smells fruity, though I can’t quite articulate what fruit. This brews up a light pink-purple, very pretty. It tastes of toasted rice and a hint of jasmine. Like others have mentioned, this tastes similar to sencha, only sweeter and maybe not as dry. It has a light, smooth mouthfeel. Pleasant enough overall. Glad to have tried it.

Preparation
Boiling 4 min, 0 sec

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39
191 tasting notes

Okay, so I’m back with the five minute assessment. The brew is still pretty light,a very light honey brown in color. I needed to pour the tea through a very fine strainer to avoid getting a lot of small particles in the bottom of my cup. It has a somewhat dry aftertaste. It is different from anything I’ve had before. “Sweet woodsy notes” aren’t the norm for me. I’m not sure if that is what I’m tasting or not. I definitely get the astringency—I can pick up on that.I’m not sure I would increase the amount of tea used from 1/2 a teaspoon—I think that might be too astringent.

Overall, I’m not sure I like it, but I don’t dislike it. I’m rather indifferent toward it. I tend to like food that is bitter/astringent/tart, so I’m rather surprised I’m so “meh” about it. I wanted to like it, placing the order from Butiki Teas was a great experience (hello, samples!) but I’m just not feeling the love like I thought I would. And that makes me rather sad.

Preparation
160 °F / 71 °C 5 min, 0 sec

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100
1 tasting notes

Kenya Purple Tea is Fantastic, you can order Kenya Purple Tea Leaf from www.lavotea.com

Benefits from Kenya Purple Tea

Fat Burner
Boosts fat loss through accelerating apoptosis (cell death) of fat cells through the catechins contained in the tea.

Anti-oxidant
Mops up free radicals in the body that may cause lifestyle diseases e.g gout, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer etc.

Anti-ageing
Prevents degeneration of body tissue and cells.

Anti-carcinogenic
Induces death of carcinogenic (cancer) cells.

Heart Health
Reduces the risk of coronary heart disease.

Preparation
185 °F / 85 °C 3 min, 15 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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6444 tasting notes

GCTTB Rd 3:

At first when I was drinking this, I didn’t get much flavor but then I saw “chicken soup” on the flavor list and oddly enough, I agree. It is subtle but definitely reminiscent of the no sodium added Campell’s chicken stock. Granted, that tastes mostly like water as well so when trying this out, don’t expect a big punch of flavor. Anyways, it was fun to try but one cup is all I need.

Butiki Teas

I highly recommend trying 1/2 teaspoon for 8oz of water at boiling temperature for 5 minutes. This tea completely morphs flavors depending on how it is prepared. It can taste like a green, oolong, or black tea. Definitely recommend experimenting a bit.

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871 tasting notes

GCTTB2

Ummmm….No. Sorry Butiki. I am just not liking this one.

To me, the dry tea smells like a kind of green oolong.

After brewing it up, it still has the sweet oolong smell. I have tried a few black Kenyan teas and they have a similar sweet smell.

I am not sure if I did something wrong with this tea. Also, it was close to the end of the little package that has been travelling around in the box so it may have gotten crushed up to dust a little bit as well. I can’t even describe the taste but it is just not good on my tongue. There is a very sweet dark oolong-y but also malty aftertaste.

There is enough for one more cup in the package. I may try again or just pass the rest on.

Preparation
165 °F / 73 °C 2 min, 30 sec 1 tsp 8 OZ / 236 ML

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