Butterfly Pea Flower – a tea served cold or hot

Last updated on January 14th, 2024 at 02:51 pm

I have come to know about butterfly pea flower (common in Southeast Asian countries) first time in Thailand in 2017 in Chiang Mai. I saw it there first in some restaurants and coffee shops and later I recognized it also growing in some smaller side-streets. Back then I also bought the flower petals at a local market, before I went back to Europe, so that I could make my own tea combinations back at home as well and play with creating different colored teas. It is a nice ingredient to have for creating your own tea combinations.

In 2023 I am in Thailand again, currently on the island Koh Phayam. While having lunch at a place called Shambhala shop, we saw it as an option on the menu and ordered a cold drink made from butterfly pea flower. It came in a see-through glass as most cold beverages do, but it is especially the case with a drink made out of butterfly pea flower, because of its unique color, which is very vibrant and an eye-catcher, and people who sell it often make sure that others can see it.

It came with a small piece of lime on the side. This is how it looked when it arrived (on the left), and after the lime has been squeezed into it (on the right). Notice the changed color:

In the shop right next to the restaurant, there was also a card with instructions for preparation of a beverage made out of butterfly pea flowers:

The price of the prepackaged butterfly pea flowers at this shop on this island is 40 baht (17th December 2023), which is just slightly over 1 EUR.

You can make teas of various colors when mixing them with butterfly pea flower, which offers the color blue/purple into the mix.

Common combinations for a hot tea with butterfly pea flower are: pandan leaves and lemongrass. You could also add a bit of mulberry leaves, ginger and a bit of honey.