Hey, Why Is My Tea Purple?

By Amy Sherman

Step aside, bright-blue unicorn latte–there’s a new healthy brew in town, and it’s purple.

Meet TRFK 306/1, a new purple tea variety from Kenya grown in rich volcanic soils. The tea, which is low in caffeine and has a pleasant earthy and sweet fruity flavor, is dark when brewed, but squeeze in some lemon and poof! It turns purple.

That regal shade comes from high levels of anthocyanins, the antioxidants that also give purple foods such as grapes, blueberries and red cabbage their color (and are not present in traditional black, oolong, green or white tea). Though more research is needed, preliminary clinical studies have shown that purple tea extracts may help fight colorectal cancer and suppress fat absorption.

You can feel good about drinking it for another reason: The tea may help the farmers that grow it in Kenya. Martin Kabaki, CEO of Kenyan Purple Tea, says the Kenyan tea farmers are traditionally very poor, but purple tea sells for 6 to 10 times the price of traditional black tea grown there. So you can feel good that you’re drinking something super healthy, while helping others on the planet!

WHERE TO FIND IT

• Kenyan Purple Tea: Comes in a variety of forms included bottled ready-to-drink, loose-leaf and extract.

• The Whistling Kettle: Offered loose leaf and in a blend with turmeric.

• Lake Missoula Tea Company: Available as loose leaf tea.