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JusTea sent me a message saying they’d like me to try this unique tea (and they also sent over some extra extra goodies.) Thank you so much for reaching out, JusTea! I appreciate that. I love JusTea’s offerings. Now, all tea that isn’t a tisane comes from the green tea tree. But not THIS. It’s purple leaves. I wouldn’t say the end result looks extremely purple… the leaf actually looks like a dusty, twisty black tea with a hint of emerald color. But upon brewing, the leaf looks like a delicious green. I tried following the steep instructions, but the resulting brew had the lightest of flavors like green tea. The color definitely seemed different though. A muted mauve. I didn’t have any lemons to squeeze into the tea, so I used quite a bit of lemon juice. The color was pink! But the flavor then was mostly lemon. Whoops. Pink lemonade! I tried steeping the second cup a half mug right after boiling for two minutes. Unlike a green tea would have, it didn’t taste too bitter, but again the flavor is light. It’s a fun and different experience though! A pink cup without including hibiscus.
Steep #1 // 1 heaping teaspoon for a full mug// 35 minutes after boiling // 3 minute steep
Steep #2 // just boiled // 2 minute steep

Another day steeping with fresh leaves, I wanted to try two teaspoons as the flavor was a little light with one teaspoon. The cup was much more flavorful this time, even more like a green tea. The color of the cup was darker but I didn’t want to add lemon to affect the flavor this time. I just wanted to enjoy the flavor of the purple! Still like a light green tea but with a dry quality, vegetal yet sweet. I think the best steep time for this on the second cup might be 15 minutes after boiling (around 195 degrees) or even hotter as a half mug at boiling didn’t overkill it last time. Next time I’ll try two teaspoons and add lemon and see how purple it gets. If you want a unique tea experience, give this one a try!
Steep #1 // 2 teaspoons for a full mug// 30 minutes after boiling // 2 1/2 minute steep
Steep #2 // 25 min after boiling // 3 minute steep