Colour Changing Iced Tea – Butterfly Pea Flowers

Colour Changing Iced Tea - Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

This Colour Changing Iced Tea is fascinating and delicious! It’s made with only four ingredients – tea, lemon juice, strawberry syrup and ice.

The tea is made out of blue pea flowers also known as butterfly pea flowers.

Let me explain a bit the science behind this colour changing tea. Blue pea flower tea is a unique and visually stunning herbal tea that is made from the petals of the Clitoria ternatea plant. The flowers contain a pigment called anthocyanin, which gives the petals their distinctive blue colour. When steeped in hot water, the blue pigment is released into the tea, creating a beautiful blue hue.

However, when lemon juice or any acidic substance is added to the tea, the blue colour changes to a bright shade of purple or pink. This colour change occurs because the anthocyanin pigment is pH-sensitive. In an acidic environment, the pigment loses electrons and changes its molecular structure, resulting in a change in colour. In addition to blue pea flower tea, anthocyanins are responsible for the colour of many other foods, such as blueberries, blackberries, and red grapes.

Ingredients (1 iced tea)

2 Tbsp blue pea flowers
120 ml (1 cup) water
juice from 1/2 lemon
30-60 ml (1/4-1/2 cup) strawberry syrup – this quantity really depends on your taste and the sweetness of the syrup you’re using
225 g (1.5 cups) baby ice cubes

Directions

To make the tea, boil the water to a temperature of 88-90°C (190-195°F). Brew the tea for 5 minutes, then remove the leaves and let the tea cool off.

Place the ice in your glass.

Pour the cold tea over.

Add the lemon juice and watch the magic happen. This natural chemical reaction adds an exciting and beautiful element to an already delicious and healthy beverage.