Blue Paradise Butterfly Cold Brew Tea

Blue Paradise Butterfly Cold Brew Tea

We’re mesmerized by this color-changing, caffeine-free, Butterfly Pea Flower Tea, which has been used for centuries in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand & Vietnam. In Thailand, this blue-magenta drink is called nam dok anchan (น้ำดอกอัญชัน).

These Butterfly Pea flowers contain a high concentration of a blue-violet plant pigment called anthocyanin, which has a similar compound to red cabbage. When there’s an increase of acidity on the pH level, the drink changes color! Lemon seems to have the most color-changing effect. The taste is very mild and slightly earthy–almost negligible. So, it’s a great base for making cold brew. We recommend infusing it with fruits or lemongrass.

Benefits

Similar to green tea, it is full of antioxidants and is known to:

  • Improve eyesight & night vision
  • Stimulates blood circulation & reduce blood sugar levels
  • Enhance the immune system
  • Strengthens the hair for healthy hair growth

For this recipe, we’ll be doing a Cold Brew style. It’s incredibly simple and yields a very elegant & balanced flavor. Normally the Butterfly Pea Tea appears as deep blue color, however since this recipe will be “pre-mixed” with the acidity of the fruits, we won’t see the ‘magic’ transformation of the color from blue to purple–but it’s still a gorgeous tea!

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups of water (for 1liter Pitcher/Carafe/Juice Jug)
  • 1-2 tbsp. of Butterfly Pea Tea
  • 1/2 cup of ripe guava cubes
  • 1 cup of ripe pineapple chunks
  • 1/4 cup of ripe mango cubes
  • 1/4 cup orange or lime wedges
  • Optional 1 tbsp. of honey (or sweetener of your choice)

Makes: 4 cups or 1 Liter

Instructions:

  1. Put all the fruits & tea together in a pitcher, French press or Carafe. Then, add the water.
  2. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (We recommend tasting the tea on the 6th hour and adjust to your liking.)
  3. Strain all the ingredients out of the pitcher and pour through a fine-mesh sieve.
  4. Add sweeter of your choice. Serve and garnish with pineapple & mint.

Notes: You can use any fruits for this Iced Tea–which can be a fusion of berries, or with apples for example. It’s very flexible.

If you’re entertaining for a big group, we recommend keeping the two components in separate pitchers (Brewed Butterfly Pea Tea & Lemon water) and have the guests pour their own to experience the magic first hand. It’s very entertaining to watch the Iced Tea transform from deep blue to vibrant pink right before their very eyes. And there you go, Abracadabra!

Source: Made by yv et té

If you do make this, let us see! 🙂 Tag your photo and share with #yvetteteas on Instagram.

Made by: Yvette A.

Posted on October 2018

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