I was casually scrolling through my Instagram explore feed the other day when I saw a string of photos that had these frothy blue drinks with fruits in it. Being the curious cat that I am, I clicked on it and there I saw: “blue matcha”. As it turns out, matcha’s blue-colored cousin is slowly becoming the next food trend, thanks to social media.
This mesmerizing drink is actually derived from a plant called Butterfly Pea Flower (made from the Clitoria ternatea plant), which is native to southeast Asia. It’s been around for centuries in countries like Thailand and Vietnam but is now gaining traction in the U.S.
Another cool thing about blue matcha is that once water is added to the tea, the deep blue liquid changes color depending on the pH level of whatever is added next. For example, if you add a little bit of lemon juice to your drink, the color changes to purple.
What sets it apart from matcha?
If you’re iffy about caffeine, then blue matcha is for you. The caffeine-free herbal beverage is often used as an after-dinner drink, much like chamomile or jasmine. But like it’s green counterpart, this tea also has some pretty amazing benefits. It has the ability to protect the skin from premature aging, reduce internal inflammation, fight against certain types of cancer, and induce brain health.
“Blue matcha isn’t actually anything like green matcha because it comes from a different plant, so the antioxidant profile is completely different,” says Jo Travers, author of Low Fad Diet, during an interview with Metro UK. “Although blue matcha may contain some antioxidants and looks pretty on Instagram, I would stick to green matcha if it’s the health benefits you’re after.”
Featured image courtesy of Health.com
Read more:
We dare you to put matcha on your face
We need to stop calling matcha a trend
These superfood combos work better together