Have you heard of a special variety of tea which is purple in colour? Yes, this special tea is made from purple tea leaves which entered the Indian market.
In 2015, the Tocklai Tea Research Institute revealed that purple tea, a special variety Kenyan brew made from purple-hued tea leaved actually originated in Assam.
Well the cost of this exotic tea is Rs 24,501 per kg. It is a product of wild vegetation. For the first time in the country, purple tea from Arunachal Pradesh was sold at Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) for 24,501 per kg.
The tea was sold by Contemporary Brokers Private Limited and bought by Dugar Consumer Products Private Limited. It was produced by Donyi Polo's estate. Interestingly, this purple tea will be served to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a summit in Ahmedabad early next year.
In August 2018, the estate had also produced and sold 1.1 kg of Golden Needles tea at a record price of Rs 40,000 per kg. The total quantity sold of the purple tea was 1.2kg. Around 10,000 purple tea leaves are needed to make 1kg of purple tea.
There are various health benefits of this tea like fighting cancer, building immunity and is great for a healthy heart. The reddish-purple colour of the brew is because of the presence of high levels of a flavonoid called Anthocyanin found in the leaves. It is a flavonoid robust with antioxidants.
The tea was once believed to be originated from Kenya, but is actually originated in Assam.
