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KittyLovesTea drank Purple Tea of Kenya by Butiki Teas

1379 tasting notes

I don’t recall trying a purple tea before so I have no means for comparison but I’m looking forward to a new experience. The closest thing I have tried is Kenyan black tea which I remember to be very dark and smoky.

The leaves are dark brown and extremely dark purple/burgundy in colour with a few golden tips which are all finely chopped. It has a strong smoked wood scent with hints of malt and prunes. Very reminiscent of a mature dark Oolong.

I shall be steeping 5g (roughly 1.5 tsp) of tea in my 8oz Gongfu teapot using just under boiling water. I’m treating it like a black tea to see the similar characteristics between the two as black teas are one of my favourites.

WOAH! The tea is black..not dark brown but actually black. Sort of looks like dirty paint water. Sorry I know that’s not really selling it but that’s what first came to mind. When it came to pouring the tea into my bowl it changed to colour to burgundy right before my very eyes as if my magic. The leaves themselves are now dark green and look completely different from before the steep. Aroma is sweet, wooden and malted with a touch of maple.

Flavour is very full bodied and rich. I can taste smoky wood, sweet yet subtle flowers, thick malt and currants. It tastes like a highly oxidized Oolong but with more magic about it. It also has a slight astringent tang and dryness which reminds me of green tea such as Dragon Well.

If I was to taste this without knowing what it was I would have said Oolong with little doubt in my mind of it being anything else. It’s the strangest tea I have ever tried but I love it! I need more purple tea in my life.

Preparation

195 °F / 90 °C 3 min, 0 sec

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2 comments

Stephanie
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Thanks for the detailed note on this one!

Meg
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This sounds really good!

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Stephanie
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Thanks for the detailed note on this one!

Meg
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This sounds really good!

Profile

Bio

I’m 34 years old from Leicester, England named Kayleigh.

I started off many years ago drinking herbal and fruit teas which over time peaked my interest in trying new types. Eventually I began to import and sample many different teas and cultures which I still do today. My life goal is to try as many teas and ways of having tea as possible.

Tea wise my cravings change constantly from pu erh one month to jasmine green to the next and so on.

I also enjoy watching Japanese Anime and horror films.

I am always up for tea swaps so if you see anything in my virtual cupboard then please contact me.

A short list to help swapping with me easier though honestly I am not fussy and am willing to try anything. Plus the notes below are usually, sometimes I love a tea that has an ingredient I tend to dislike and other times I hate a tea that I thought I would love.

Likes: Any fruit but especially melon and orange, vanilla, all tea types (black, green, white etc), nuts (any), flowers, ginger, chai.

Dislikes: Licorice, aniseed, clove, eucalyptus, lavender.

My rating system
I have my own way of rating teas that makes each one personal. I have different categories, I rate each tea depending on what it is made of. For example: I rate green teas in a different way to black teas or herbal teas. So black, white, green, Pu Erh, Rooibos, Oolong, blends and tisanes all have their own rating system. That way I can compare them with other teas of the same or similar type before for an adequate rating. And when I do give top marks which is very rare I am actually saying that I would love to drink that tea all day, every day if possible. It’s a tea that I would never turn down or not be in the mood for. So while I agree that no tea is 100% perfect (as nothing is) I am saying that it’s as close as it comes to it. After all, in my book the perfect teas (or close to perfect anyway) are ones that I could drink all the time. That is why you will find a high quality black or Oolong will not have as high a score as a cheap flavoured blend, they are simply not being compared in the same category.

Location

Leicester, England, United Kingdom

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