This year’s Bangalore trip saw me catching up with loads of friends, which meant that I got to check out tonnes of neat cafe there. One such get together saw me at Claytopia in Koramangala. We deigned to sit in the open courtyard, fanned by the green foliage of the tree cover. Our curiosity was piqued by a promotional stand card on our table which advertised Purple Tea.
Location : Claytopia, Koramangala, Bangalore
Purple, we all exclaimed disbelieving. But the server assured us its the highlight of the place and we must try it out. When the teapot arrived, we all exclaimed yet again as the tea was blue and not purple!!!
” Whats going on ?” we all demanded!
“Just pour the tea into your cups Madam and then drop the lemon wedge.”
Now here I must tell you, we loved the exotic blue colour which (we read the card to know) comes from the blue of the flowers – Butterfly Pea flowers or Aparajita. When steeped in hot water, the colour leaches out thus creating a tisane or a caffeine free tea.
We did as instructed and couldn’t believe our eyes that the tea started to change colour instantly. It was such a pretty sight and of course we had to shoot it then and there. Have a look at this video:
My friend had dropped the lemon slice into the teacup and then poured the hot liquid right over it. We watched in amazement as the steady blue stream pouring into the cup, changed its colour to purple. Magic!!!!
What an amazing food discovery this is and how wonderfully its been turned into a unique tea ceremony.
Some Google later, I came to know that a change in the PH of the liquid by the addition of say Lemon, changes the colour. This tea was made popular in South East Asia as a major detox drinks in spas. Thanks to food and travel shows, it reached a wider audience and embellished by culinary creativity.
As for the taste of this tea, it was too sour and lemony for my taste buds. I tried some without the lemon and found the tartness just right. My friends wanted some honey to balance it out.
[bctt tweet=”I highly recommend the drama of this purple tea but perhaps it’s not for everyone’s taste buds. #bluetea #aparajita #shalzmojosays” username=”shalz75″]
I hear this tea is being used to create some colourful and dramatic cocktails; maybe that’s what we should try next 😉
What did you think of this tea?
Would you be tempted to try it out?
Have you tried it out?
Do share your thoughts and experiences on this please.
Never heard of purple tea, but would sure like to try it out, Shalini.
Oh I hope you are able to; a friend of mine makes it fresh out of the blue flowers which grow on her terrace. I need to get some from her for myself too!!
Sounds super interesting!! I’d love to try it out 🙂
Let me source some from a friend of mine who makes it; then maybe we will have a cup at my place soon!!
Sounds awesome ☺️
I worship tea and flavoured teas are my favourite! My current obsession is cinnamon and peppermint infusion. Oh gosh! So delectable. No extra flavour required.
I may actually be tempted to try this out if I ever visit this cafe. Couldn’t view the video thanks to a patchy network connection on my end.
Oh damn the connection; I have this video on my insta feed too. Hope you could check it out there. I love cinnamon too tho not a fan of peppermint in the tea. I have a varied collection of teas too and love sipping them esp in the rainy and winter seasons.
If you do try it out, pls do share your views on this!!
I love the color purple 🙂 It looks like a magic trick, blue water turning purple. Want to try this tea.
Yeah it was truly like magic. If you find some aparajita or shankpushpam in your neighbourhood, you can steep them in water to get a tisane brew. I will ask one of my gardner friends if she has some dried ones. We shall have a cuppa then 😉
I haven’t heard of Purple tea but with purple being my favorite color and Tea my favorite drink its something I wouldn’t mind trying out. Although I have a question do we need the Lemon as I don’t care for it?
I know its a bit of a unique thing, that was very new to me too. The lemon is what turns the blue to purple!! I hear they add hiscus flowers to turn it red too! Food cuisines and their tricks are becoming more and more ecelectic day by day 😉
hey you got to try blue tea 😀 awesome. I don’t mix it with lemon or honey as it subdues the actual flavor of the tea. The ones I got has butterfly pea flower too 😀
Yeah I did na – this was Blue tea made out of dried butterfly-pea flowers. It changes colour with the lemon and that was the gimmick added to it. I found it too sour with the lemon and preferred it without!! But honestly blue and purple tea sounds so exotic na…. 😉
Of course, I would love to try it out! I might add a bit of honey to it, though. I am not too fond of lemony teas. Loved the video, Shalz..felt like magic! And, loved the tea cup and the kettle the most! 🙂
Thanks Shilpa! Yeah the lemon made it too lemony!! Best to avoid that and have the tea as is. Hope you get to try some soon! 🙂