Purple tea was first discovered in Assam, India, and in Yunnan, China, and cultivated experimentally in Sri Lanka, and Japan (where it is known as sunrougue). Researchers at the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya spent 25 years developing drought-, disease- and frost-resistant varieties: TRFK 306/1.
This is arguably the first true innovation in the Camellia Sinensis plant since its inception thousands of years ago, because the scientists of Kenya have developed a completely new category of tea. Purple tea is unlike any other type of tea in every aspect from its leaf structure and appearance to manufacture process to its distinctive health attributes. Since 2011, Kenya has led the world in production of this cultivar.
