Purple Rain

Tea type
Black Tea
Ingredients
Black Tea
Flavors
Pine, Plum, Seaweed, Wood, Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Burnt, Floral, Flowers, Round, Sweet, Tannic, Tannin
Sold in
Loose Leaf
Caffeine
Not available
Certification
Vegan
Average preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 g 4 oz / 118 ml

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2 Tasting Notes View all

  • “What a surprising tea. The leaves are almost black with a hint of blue, like very ripe blackberries, with a sweet and smoky aroma. Based on this I was expecting something more like a black tea....” Read full tasting note
  • “Dark with that touch of acrid charcoal-black-burnt brown but it is way deep down into back of mouth and throat. It has a medium level astringency that spreads across the entire top of...” Read full tasting note
    98

From Leaves of Cha

This purple tea is from one of the three unique purple cultivars. Called variously “Purple Tea”, “Purple Bud”, or “Zi Cha”, it is a naturally occurring mutation of Camellia Sinensis Assamica. It grows all over the Yunnan Province but accounts for less than 1% of the cultivated Assamica produced there. The purple (or russet in my translation of Lü Yu) color is a result of the tea plants producing anthocyanin to combat the humid summers and highRead more

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2 Tasting Notes

64 tasting notes

What a surprising tea. The leaves are almost black with a hint of blue, like very ripe blackberries, with a sweet and smoky aroma. Based on this I was expecting something more like a black tea. Instead the first infusion had me thinking of seawater and trees in spring. But those more oxidized flavors of fruit and wood are in there too, later on. The liquid is a dark orange, with a light texture. I’m curious if this unusual flavor combination is typical of purple teas – I have a roasted purple from the same order I’m looking forward to trying now.

Flavors: Pine, Plum, Seaweed, Wood

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98
309 tasting notes

Dark with that touch of acrid charcoal-black-burnt brown but it is way deep down into back of mouth and throat.

It has a medium level astringency that spreads across the entire top of tonue.

There’s a bitter, sort of rotting wet winter leaves, flavor that fills the mouth with it. While at the same time it has a lighter sweetness tending towards a malty feel and taste but not going there… just a hint that it could, but doesn’t. If that makes any sense.

That lighter sweetness starts during the sip in the back of the throat but higher up, just above, the dark acrid bit I spoke of. Then in the finish it moves to the upper half of the mouth with strongest at middle between front and back of the roof.

Id gives a deep and round impression. Fills the mouth, hitting multiple areas with the sensation of flavor. Causes production of a little extra saliva to pool at where the teeth and tongue meet in front, but not a dryness strong enough in mouth for such production from astringency level or style. Just an odd little texture and reaction note there.

As it cools a pink, a soft flower petal pink, takes up the place of the sweetness before and holds on with whites and pinks of light flowers into the cooler tea’s finish.

Hot ranging down to cool as I drink my cup the finish on it is very quite long and it is a tea that makes you want to take gulps almost from the way it leaves your mouth.

I bought this on a whim, being lured to the Leaves of Cha site by their post on the name and discount code in memory of Prince. I then found myself excited by the site in general’s mix of teas I was familiar with and more that I wasn’t combined with their very thorough info on their tea pages. Ended up grabbing a few things new to me.

I’d say this one was definitely for me and I’d recommend it.

Flavors: Astringent, Autumn Leaf Pile, Burnt, Floral, Flowers, Round, Sweet, Tannic, Tannin, Wood

Preparation
200 °F / 93 °C 3 min, 0 sec 2 g 4 OZ / 118 ML

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