Flower Power — it’s still alive and well and super impressive!
I have mentioned the Clitoria
My first sample was sent to me from Avetea.com and this is what they say about their Blue Exotica:
“The flowers of the Blue Pea plant have been used for centuries in Asia for its medicinal properties. Rich in essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron manganese and sodium, this brew possesses antioxidant benefits, benefits for diabetes, brain function enhancement, anti-aging qualities, anti-inflammatory, fatigue buster, pain reliever, soothes ulcers and is beneficial for women’s uterine health, too. When brewed, it offers a cup of irresistible indigo, a tantalizing delight to all the senses.”
Many food, beverage, herbal, and tea websites have dedicated time and effort to inform people about this rather curious and lovely looking flower.
For those of you with inquisitive minds, here’s a link to see some images
I have come across several sites that describe the taste of the infused flower as very similar to green tea — not — not at all. It’s earthy, light, and sometimes non-existent; and nothing to get very excited about: All the entertainment is in the steeping. However, it gets even more thrilling when you add a few drops of lemon to it because — you guessed it — it goes from blue to purple.
People love that stuff!
Oh, but it doesn’t end there. The beneficial antioxidant that our purple and deep red fruits and vegetables generously provide for us–Anthocyanin–is present in the Blue Pea Flower, too. Edible, healthy, and natural is not commonly found in any blue food or beverage product, until now.
For the wow factor — this flower sure packs a punch! How about a Blue Pea Latta?
If you’d like to visit a website that shows you how versatile the steeped infusion of the Blue Pea Flower can be used for making cocktails — here’s one: Colorful Cocktails
Enjoy!
All images provided by and copyright held by author
Read more articles by this author here!
Dharlene, Thanks for more details about this flower infusion. The first time I had it was in a blend of green tea, lemon grass and other herbs created by Nami Thompson of The Tea Cozy in Sacramento. Her blend was so flavorful that I didn’t realize until I ordered the flowers and brewed them separately, that they have so little flavor. But the color is spectacular. I’ll try your suggestion about the rice and the blue latte. Sounds like a way to welcome Spring.
A vendor friend recently shared some green tea that has a similar effect, a very rare kind that transitions from a normal pale yellow-gold to a pink color when you add drops of lemon or lime juice, produced in Sri Lanka. It tasted like decent green tea to begin with but of course it doesn’t take much lime juice to make tea taste more like that. I’ve tried the butterfly pea “tea,” a common enough tisane where I live in Thailand, and I don’t really care for the taste of it. It’s generally flavorless but the mild flavor it does have I don’t like.
Related to the health concerns, it seems odd to me that instead of conventional knowledge expanding by exploring which traditional claims are most valid and promising health trends jump from one thing to the next being seen as a super-food. We just can’t seem to make any gains on maturity in perspective, even though a lot of the potential isn’t a complete mystery.
The color of the brew is beautiful, but I am old enough that blue food is novel! The time I tried this tisane, I used all the powder for one cup and it was brisk and blue and I could have dyed several garments. Thank you for the information, Dharlene. You’ve inspired me to give it another try.