Blueberry Butterfly

Description

A beautiful botanical berry tea combining butterfly pea flower and blueberry with bright hibiscus, citrusy lemon peel and cooling spearmint.

Butterfly pea flower — the visual star. Butterfly pea has a fairly mild, earthy flavor, so its biggest contribution is its extraordinary natural color. Its anthocyanin pigments are pH-sensitive, which is why acidic ingredients can shift the infusion from blue toward purple.

Blueberries — the fruity heart. Dried blueberries give the blend a recognizable berry identity. Their sweeter, darker fruit character also works nicely against butterfly pea's mild earthy quality.

Hibiscus — tartness, color and intensity. Hibiscus makes the tea much more flavorful by contributing tartness and fruitiness. It also affects the color, though. Because hibiscus is acidic and deeply colored itself, a blend containing this much hibiscus won't give you the dramatic bright-blue starting color people often associate with butterfly pea tea.

Lemon peel — brightness. Lemon peel helps lift the darker berry flavors and gives the aroma a fresh citrus edge. Blueberry and lemon are also a naturally familiar flavor pairing.

Spearmint — refreshment.  It adds a cooling quality that's particularly nice when this tea is served very cold.

Why they work together: Butterfly pea provides visual interest, blueberry supplies the main fruit character, hibiscus provides the tart backbone, lemon brightens it, and spearmint creates the refreshing finish. It's essentially berry + tart + citrus + mint.