Purple tea
Of the six main categories of tea, four are commonly associated with a specific color. There’s black and green, of course, along with white tea, which has grown in popularity in recent years.
Yellow tea is another category—lightly processed and somewhat similar to green tea—but it remains relatively unknown.
The two types not strongly tied to a color are puerh and oolong, although oolong is sometimes referred to as “blue tea.”
Most tea drinkers are familiar with at least two or three of these “colored” teas—but how many have heard of purple tea?
Not many—at least not yet.
What Is Purple Tea?
Purple tea (officially known as TRFK 306/1) is a relatively new tea variety developed in Kenya, one of the world’s leading producers of black tea.
Although it has only recently gained attention, purple tea has actually been in development for over 20 years.
It was created by the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya and officially approved for commercial production in 2011.
Why Is Purple Tea Unique?
The key distinguishing feature of purple tea is its high content of anthocyanins.
These are natural antioxidants also found in foods like blueberries and purple grapes. According to the Tea Research Foundation, anthocyanins may offer various health benefits.
This gives purple tea not only its distinctive color but also its potential appeal to health-conscious tea drinkers.
Economic Impact
Purple tea is not just interesting from a flavor or health perspective—it also has economic significance.
For Kenyan tea growers, this new variety is expected to yield returns that can be significantly higher than traditional black tea production.
Some estimates suggest it could generate up to four times the revenue, making it an important development for the region’s tea industry.
Learn More
For additional details, you can read more in this
Tea Research Foundation article on purple tea
.
As purple tea continues to gain recognition, it may soon become the newest “color” to join the global tea conversation.
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