"Purple tea" is a fairly new creation, coming from a small Kenyan tea estate. It's a subvarietal of tea that is made to be turned into black tea, with a moderate astringency, and hosting floral and malty notes, but with an interesting twist. It's extra packed with anthocyanin, the chemical that turns leaves purple in the fall. With a host of purported health benefits, we find it lends the tea an interesting depth of character, with a twist to the bitterness, and a top-note of flowers!
 
The other interesting thing about it is, when you add milk, you can see the purple color more pronounced, and if you add a bit of lemon (without milk; please don't add lemon and milk at the same time), it turns pink! We think it's perfectly delicious by itself, but the additives to make it interesting to look at, and to taste.
 
Also, fun fact, Phoenix Pearl Tea was the first tea company in America to feature a purple tea on our menu! Our founder, Gary, found the research in an industry article, reached out to the originator of the subvarietal, and got a shipment to serve in our original teahouse before anyone else in the US. So trust us, we have a history with purple tea. While the original "recipe" is lost to time along with its originator, this one holds up to its original flavor.