Purple Mystique - Rare Purple Tea - Absolute Signature

The much fabled and rare Purple Tea is made by an artisan tea producer in Northeast India from a variety of the Camellia Sinensis Assamica (the tea plant). Plucking the leaves for this tea is an intricate process, in which only the prominent purple tea buds and leaves are picked to ensure a consistent result every time. The tea leaves have been processed sans any oxidation, like green tea, to preserve the naturally occurring anthocyanins and polyphenols, which makes this a healthy beverage. 

The raw leaf itself has a dark color; however, upon steeping, the brew is very light with a pale yellow, with a purple halo-like ring at the edges. It has low astringency and slight signature tannin bitterness. Adding a few drops of lemon or any citric fruit juice turns the brew into a beautiful pink-purple coloured cup. This is a test which showcases the elevated levels of anthocyanin, besides adding a zing to the taste. We have made some delicious cold tea brews using this tea

The purple hued leaves, used to make the tea is found on select bushes of Camellia Sinensis Assamica, the original variety of Assam Tea bush. The purple hue is due to a naturally occurring genetic variation in the plant, which tends to produce higher levels of Anthocyanin upon exposure to sunshine. Anthocyanin is the same compound that gives various foods their purple colour.

.Anthocyanin, the antioxidant which makes this tea special, has been known to possess many medicinal properties, especially against cardiovascular diseases. The elevated levels of Anthocyanin present in the leaves are known to provide anti-cancer benefits, improve vision, lowers cholesterol and blood sugar metabolism amongst the many other benefits. Link to the study about Anthocyanin.

With the rarity of the correct tea bush, this tea is a hard find. At Absolute Tea, we have tied up with the grower to bring this treasure to our tea patrons. Purple Tea is a produce of the tea plant itself, it does not contain any added botanicals, as widely marketed nowadays.

Month of Produce: August 2022