/World Tea News/
Purple tea contains anthocyanin in tea leaves, a powerful antioxidant that brings many health benefits. Purple tea can also be profitable for retailers looking for products that satisfy the needs of health-conscious customers. Tea drinkers appreciate the flavor of purple tea compared to herbaceous green tea. Wholesalers in the US and Canada imported about 10 tons of Kenyan purple tea 2017, making the North American market the top destination for this product.
International Tea Importers (ITI) in California is the world’s largest importer of purple tea. “We are at a new, very welcome frontier in the tea industry,” said ITI chief operations officer Bhavin Shah. “This is the first real innovation at the Camellia Sinensis tea garden in thousands of years. After decades of research by scientists in Kenya, they have comprehensively developed a new tea product segment. Purple tea is unlike any other type, from leaf structure form to processing to create health benefits and unique flavor.
Mr. Shah said ITI recently surveyed retailers across North America. The retailer’s feedback gave him confidence that “the market for this new, special tea is strong, thanks to its strong antioxidant properties and lower caffeine content, along with quality and tea flavor that you can only expect from a high-end specialty tea line.”
Purple tea was first discovered in Assam, India, and Yunnan, China, and was experimentally grown in Sri Lanka and Japan (where the tea is called unrouged). Researchers at the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK) have spent 25 years developing purple tea varieties resistant to drought, disease, and frost.
Since 2011, Kenya has led the world in purple tea production. The TRFK 306/1 tea line yields 1.5 – 3kg/tree/year, higher than most other varieties. This type of tea offered at the Mombasa auction can be up to 30 USD/kg, compared to the average price of 2.85 USD/kg for commercial black tea. Prices for wholesale blended tea products range from 19 – 30 USD/pound.
About 600,000 small-scale farmers produce tea in Kenya, but only a few hundred farmers grow purple tea. Replanting by cutting branches is a common practice because the seeds show a high genetic variation. Purple tea plants take 3 – 6 years to mature. Tea grown high in the mountains tastes best when slightly wilted, using the same processing methods as green tea.
Most of this tea is still processed as black tea to find a market. The Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) has designated four factories to specialize in producing and processing this tea to enhance its quality and health benefits; still, input supplies are low, so only the factory in Kangaita can make it—a relatively large amount. At least two other private factories are also processing this type of tea: Tumoi Tea and Njeru Industries. Kenya produced 25,647 kg of purple tea in 2016, according to the Kenya Tea Board.
Is it as good as green tea?
Globally, green tea production is increasing. Green tea now accounts for about a third of global tea production, compared with less than 25% just a decade ago, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Tea Industry Report.
The reason for this growth is domestic consumption in major tea-producing countries. Many scientific research organizations in the West have provided evidence of the health benefits of drinking 3 cups of tea daily. All teas from the Camellia Sinensis factory, whether it is black, green, yellow, oolong, or white, have a natural content of 100 – 300 mg of antioxidants per cup.
Some antioxidants, including Maldivian anthocyanin found in purple tea, are essential components that give tea its color. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant that gives blueberries, purple cabbage, red grapes, hibiscus, and sake berries their purple color. This color protects tea leaves from UV-B rays and regulates tea leaf temperature during cold spells. Tests show that anthocyanins are easily absorbed and provide twice the antioxidant benefits of vitamin C.
Green teas are believed to be high in catechins, which help maintain normal, healthy heart function. Purple tea contains catechins in the same amount as green tea. Researchers found that purple tea had higher levels of catechin (C+) and epicatechin gallate (ECG) but lower levels of epicatechin (EC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epigallocatechin (EGC).
Catechins are antioxidants in the nervous system and are absorbed into the brain. Some studies have shown encouraging results, but the American Oncology Community has not yet confirmed that this substance can prevent oxidation or treat cancer.
The future of purple tea
ITI sources purple tea in the Nandi Hills, Kenya, at Tumoi Tea Farm. “Last summer, the ITI working group arrived in Kenya at the right time to harvest the first batch of commercial tea,” said Mr. Bhavin Shah. “The working group spent much time traveling west to east of the Rift Valley, visiting gardens and processing factories for purple tea that was truly ready to enter the market.”
“Tea trees need 3-5 leaf-growing seasons from being planted from seed before they are developed enough to harvest and process tea commercially,” Mr. Shah explained. Most of the purple tea gardens here are newly planted. “It is essential that importers only accept tea harvested when sufficiently developed. Tumoi Teas is a meticulous tea garden, harvesting purple tea only at the right time, thereby ensuring all the antioxidant properties of purple tea while still maintaining the flavor and quality of the tea.
Currently, there are no purple tea gardens in Kenya that are certified organic. Tumoi is in the certification process, which is expected to be completed in 2020. However, many small growers still rely on herbicides or insecticides, while organic production requires no chemicals. What substance is sprayed on the leaves?
Kenya is the world’s third-largest exporter of tea and the world’s largest exporter of black tea, with export revenues continuing to grow. Yields in Kenya were unusually high thanks to rainy conditions. Kenya’s tea productivity averages 2,105 kg of processed tea/hectare, compared to an average yield of 785 kg/hectare in China.