Purple Tea is a naturally occurring variety of the Camellia Sensis that was located on the rich volcanic mountain soils near to Mount Kenya. The variety was developed further by the Kenya Tea Development Authority and is receiving huge interest in the health and wellbeing market due to its high levels of beneficial antioxidants.
We grow our Purple Tea on Changoi, our ‘solar farm’. Here the high levels of solar irradiance maximises the growth of this unusual tea.
Delving a little deeper into the science Purple Tea has higher than normal tea levels of ‘anthocyanin’. These are typically red-purple coloured compounds, found in red onions, red cabbage and numerous flowers. Like other flavonoids, anthocyanins have been linked with health benefits as diverse as reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease to improving visual acuity.
Bioavailability studies have shown that these compounds do enter the circulatory systems and a recent study in mice revealed that the compounds do cross the blood brain barrier, linking to improved cognitive functioning. Of further interest was that Purple tea had a greater range of antioxidants than other varieties, indicating its beneficial characteristics.
All we know is that with it’s mild, palatable taste Purple Tea is a lot easier to drink than green tea and leaves us feeling cleansed, relaxed and ready for the day. The perfect tea detox!
How do we drink our Purple Tea? With a splash of lemon juice to reveal the magic ‘Purple Blush’. This naturally occurring chemical reaction changes the liquor’s colour to a bright blushing pink, an every day wow factor!
Let us know how you enjoy yours! Using the hashtags #williamsontea #purpletea on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook