Butterfly Pea Flower Tea Recipe

Boil water

Bring 4 cups of fresh water to a rolling boil in a kettle or saucepan.

Steep flowers

Place 2 tablespoons dried butterfly pea flowers in a heatproof pitcher or teapot. Pour the boiling water over the flowers, cover, and steep for 5–10 minutes until the liquid is a deep vivid blue. Longer steeping yields stronger flavor and deeper color—do not steep more than 15 minutes to avoid astringency.

Strain

Strain the tea through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container to remove the flowers. Press lightly on the flowers with the back of a spoon to extract remaining liquid, then discard the spent flowers.

While the tea is still warm, stir in 1–2 teaspoons honey or simple syrup to taste until fully dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness as desired.

To create a color-changing effect, add 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (or juice to taste). The blue tea will shift to purple/pink where acid is introduced. For presentation, pour a little lemon juice into a glass before adding the tea or drop in a lemon slice.

To serve cold: fill glasses with ice cubes, pour chilled or room-temperature butterfly pea tea over the ice, add lemon slices and mint sprigs for garnish. Stir gently. For best chilled results, refrigerate the strained tea until cold (about 30–60 minutes) before serving.