Butterfly pea flower tea

Butterfly pea flower tea

Butterfly-pea flower tea brewing in a pot
Alternative names	Butterfly-pea leaf tea
Type	Herbal tea
Course	Drink
Region or state	South East Asia
Cooking time
Serving temperature	Hot or cold
Main ingredients	Butterfly-pea flowers
Ingredients generally used	dried lemongrass
Variations	nam dok anchan

This article is about herbal tea made from the Clitoria ternatea plant, not the Centrosema plant.

Butterfly-pea flower tea is a caffeine-free herbal tea, or tisane, beverage made from a decoction or infusion of the leaves of the Clitoria ternatea plant and dried Lemongrass. The ternatea is also known as butterfly-pea, blue-pea, Aprajita, Cordofan pea or Asian pigeonwings.

Derived from a plant that is common to most South East Asian countries butterfly pea flower tea has been brewed for centuries but only recently been introduced to tea drinkers outside the indigenous area. Butterfly pea flower tea retains many of the medicinal properties of the Clitoria ternatea as well as extracting the deep blue color of the petals that has made the plant a popular dye for centuries. One of the aspects of the tea is the fact that the liquid changes color based on the pH level of the substance added to it, for instance, adding lemon juice to the tea will turn it purple.

The Clitoria ternatea plant, also referred to as the butterfly-pea, blue-pea, Aprajita, Cordofan pea or Asian pigeonwings, is a plant from the Fabaceae family and is commonly found throughout South East Asia. The bright blue petals from the flowers of the butterfly-pea plant have been used as an ingredient in herbal tea drinks throughout the region for centuries as well as used in cooking. The blue flower imparts its blue color when steeped in warm or hot water, leading it to being used as a dye, as well as to add color to various foods such as the rice dish Nasi kerabu.

In Thailand and Vietnam the tea is commonly known as nam dok anchan, which mixes the butterfly pea flower tea with honey and lemon for a drink usually served after dinner, or a refreshment at hotels and spas. The nam dok anchan drink has been described as being a typical local drink like chamomile tea is in other parts of the world. The tea is found in both hot and cold varieties, where the cold version is often mixed with honey, mint, cinnamon, passion fruit, and ginger.