Butterfly Pea Flower

 

We can't stop staring at the mesmerizing colors. Hard to believe, but the only difference between these two brews are a few small flowers! The process is incredibly simple, but the results are stunning.

Tea Base: Green Tea

Second Ferment ingredients: Butterfly Pea Flower

Process: First, you will want to purchase some Butterfly Pea Flower, here. Also known as "blue pea" or "Asian pigeonwings," it’s a striking blue-purple flower that grows in Southeast Asia, and is mainly used to color food and beverages, since the flower's bright blue color comes out into liquid when soaked. When the liquid is mixed with an acidic ingredient such as lime or lemon juice, it transforms into a shade of royal purple! It doesn’t have much flavor (although the smell reminds us of pastry!), but it does have some wonderful benefits. It’s supposed to enhance memory, and has anti-stress, antidepressant, tranquilizing, and sedative properties.

    Once you have your flowers, you will want to soak a tablespoon or so of them in 1/3 of a cup of 100 degree purified or spring water for about 5-10 minutes, until the liquid turns a deep navy blue. We call this our butterfly pea flower “concentrate.” Remove the flowers, and allow the liquid to cool fully to room temperature. You can now add it to any kombucha of your choice! If you’re using a basic green tea one, as we did, the color will instantly become a bright magenta, gradually transforming into a soft purple hue. The swirls of color as it incorporates are absolutely mesmerizing.

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