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Organic Purple "Beauty of Yunnan" Black Tea

Black · Menghai, Yunnan, China

Organic Purple "Beauty of Yunnan" Black Tea

$17.00 USD

Free US shipping on orders $75+ after discounts.

Tasting notes

About these tasting notes

These are the tasting notes we and others pick up most often. Palates vary, so you may catch some, all, or different ones — flavor is personal and subjective. Nothing is added: there are no added flavorings in this tea. Any notes you find developed naturally in the tea plant through rediscovered artisanal processing techniques.

Red Wine

Vanilla

Honey

Dried Rose

Raisin

Cacao

Effects

About these effects

These are the effects people most often report from this tea. Bodies differ, so treat them as a common guide rather than a promise — most people notice at least one, but what you feel is personal.

Body High

Energetic

Focus

Zi Juan – The Beautiful Purple Cultivar

Zi Juan (紫娟), meaning “Purple Beauty,” is anything but your average tea cultivar. Native to Yunnan, this rare plant produces naturally purple leaves packed with anthocyanins, the same beneficial pigments found in blueberries and purple cabbage. Young shoots can contain an unusually high 2.7–3.6% anthocyanin content, giving the finished tea its striking violet color and making it one of the most unusual cultivars you can find.

And the flavor is just as interesting. Zi Juan brews smooth, gentle, and surprisingly fruity, with peach and prune-like sweetness, followed by delicate floral and herbal notes and a lingering chamomile finish. It can be made into green tea, black tea, or sheng puerh, but this Yunnan black tea is especially fun to explore. Grown mainly in Xishuangbanna, Pu’er, Lincang, and Baoshan, Zi Juan remains uncommon due to its limited planting area and lower yields—up to 40% less than Yunkang 10, another well-known purple Yunnan cultivar.

Notes from Staff: This is definitely not your average black tea! The first impression is full of juicy peach-like fruit, followed by a refreshing herbal and chamomile finish, which is not a typical "Black tea" flavor profile. In my opinion, this tea tastes “more expensive” than it is, which makes it a great introduction to luxury tea without the luxury price tag.

While luxury teas like Oriental Beauty (東方美人茶) can easily reach $5 a gram, Zi Juan delivers a similarly impressive depth with plenty of steeps, all while staying affordable and refreshing.

Old Mountain Tea Guarantee

Our teas are guaranteed free from harmful chemicals. We source directly from small, clean family farms that take real pride in their work — no middlemen, no anonymous blends. Many of these teas are bug-bitten, and leafhoppers only feed on gardens grown without pesticides, so the leaf itself is living proof the garden is clean. Most of our teas are certified organic (USDA & EU), and every tea is traceable to the farm that made it.

Read our full guarantee →

Purple Black TeaOrganic FarmsSmall Batch ProductionHand-harvested & ProcessedNo Added Flavors or Preservatives — Ever!Secure Checkout30-day Returns

Certified Organic — USDA & EU

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Origin & Terroir

Cultivar About this cultivar Zi Juan (紫娟), meaning “Purple Beauty,” is a distinct purple-leaf tea cultivar (Camellia sinensis var. assamica) officially registered in 2005 by the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Its development began in Yunnan during the 1980s when researchers isolated an extremely rare natural mutation—occurring in roughly 1 in 60 million trees—noted for its exceptionally high anthocyanin content. To create the striking cultivar known today, researchers vegetatively cloned this parent tree and cross-bred it with local Yunnan Da Ye (大叶) plants and selections from Wuyi Shan. This enhanced the tea's yield and hardiness while softening its natural bitterness, while preserving the vivid purple pigmentation across its buds, leaves, and stems.: Zi Juan(紫娟) "Purple Beauty" Cultivar
Status: Moderately Rare
Processing method: Hong Cha(红茶) (Black Tea)
Charcoal roast level: 0%

Region: Menghai County, Yunnan Province, China
Harvest: Spring 2025
Elevation: 910 meters
Climate: Tropical, Humid, Mountainous
Oxidation level What oxidation level means Oxidation is what turns green tea into oolong or black tea — as leaves are bruised and rested, enzymes react with oxygen and deepen their color and flavor. Green tea sees almost none; oolong ranges widely; black tea is oxidized fully.: (95% · High)
Picking style Why picking style matters Machine harvesting trims a whole flush of tender new shoots in a single pass using shears or a harvester — far faster and more affordable than plucking by hand. It suits gardens where pickers are scarce, and careful sorting after harvest keeps the finished leaf consistent.: Machine Harvested
Bug-bitten level: 0%