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Can I make royal blue tea using fresh butterfly pea flowers?

Yes, you can make royal blue tea using fresh butterfly pea flowers, but do not let them stay in the water after brewing because they release a bitter taste as steeping time increases.

How can I make blue tea?

You can make blue tea by steeping butterfly pea flowers in boiled water for 5 minutes.

How can I make purple tea?

You can make purple tea by steeping butterfly pea flowers in boiled water for 5 minutes and then squeezing some lime or lemon juice into the infusion.

herbal teas

royal blue tea recipe

Emine Aslan January 24, 2024
Royal Blue Tea Recipe

Summary: Butterfly pea flower tea, also known as royal blue tea, is a caffeine-free tisane that can be made in less than 10 minutes. Learn more about it below and try this healthy beverage!

Tags: Royal blue tea

Category:Beverage
Cuisine:South-East Asian
Serving:8 teacups
Cook Time:5 minutes
Prep Time:5 minutes
Author:Emine Aslan
Calories: 0

Butterfly pea flower tea, also known as blue tea, is an infusion of butterfly pea flowers. It is a caffeine-free herbal tea, or tisane. Butterfly pea flowers are rich in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins give the flowers and, thus, the tea their bright blue color and medicinal properties.

Butterfly pea flower tea has been known and drunk locally in Southeast Asia for a long time; however, it has become known in other countries very recently, thanks to food blogging and travel influencers.

Blue tea is a caffeine-free alternative to other tea types like black tea, green tea, yellow tea, etc. It is enjoyed either hot or cold and is usually drunk by adding honey and a squeeze of lime.

Blue tea is rich in antioxidants and has many health benefits, similar to green tea. However, its most remarkable benefit is for brain health. It improves memory and prevents memory loss. So, it is very beneficial for diseases like Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the most impressive features of the butterfly pea flower tea is its ability to change its color by changing its pH level. For example, its indigo-blue color turns bright purple when you squeeze some lime into it, and it becomes red by adding some hibiscus. This impressive color-changing feature makes blue tea a perfect ingredient for cocktails because it is a great tool for bartenders to show off!

Now, let’s move on to the blue tea recipe below!

Ingredients

  • 1 liter water, filtered or bottled, if tap water is of poor quality

  • 1 cup of dried butterfly pea flowers, dried or fresh

  • Some honey or sugar (optional)

  • Some lime or lemon juice or slices (optional)

  • Some ice cubes, if you like to drink the blue tea cold

Directions

  1. Boil the water.

  2. If you are using fresh flowers, get rid of the green stems while the water is boiling.

  3. Add butterfly pea flowers into a teapot and pour boiled water on them.

  4. You can wait for the butterfly pea flowers to release their flavor and color to water by closing the teapot lid. Or, you can stir the flowers and press on them using the back of the spoon to force them to release more color.

  5. Almost after 5 minutes, when the color of the water turns into a bright blue, royal blue tea is ready.

  6. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 teacup
Amount/​Serving
% Daily Value
Calories per serving
0
Carbs
0 grams
0
Fat
0 grams
0
Protein
0 grams
0
Cholesterol
0 milligrams
0
Sodium
5 milligrams
0
Fiber
0 grams
0
Extras
  • RECIPE NOTES FOR ROYAL BLUE TEA:

    Please keep in mind that you can change the amount of butterfly pea flowers mentioned above according to your preference. The more flowers you add, the stronger the tea becomes, and vice versa.

    If you use fresh flowers, you should remove them from the infusion as soon as it is brewed sufficiently. Or else, the taste of blue tea becomes less pleasant due to the bitterness infused from flowers.

    HOW TO SERVE ROYAL BLUE TEA:

    You can serve royal blue tea in a glass teacup to enjoy its beautiful color and observe the color change if you add lime juice and ice cubes.