Kenya exports almost 80% of the world’s black tea. Due to this, the crop earns Kenya a great sum of money for counting the profits. It is safe to say that the Kenyan economy depends on its tea exports and tourism, and cash sent home by citizens living abroad.
Researchers Develop Purple Tea
As the country has made a reasonable sum of money selling the crop over the years, it has tried to make necessary plans to maximize profits. One such change involved the development of other varieties of tea. Back in 2011, Kenyan researchers successfully developed a new variety of tea they called purple tea. The researchers released the tea to farmers in the same year and continued working on other types. Since 2011 Kenya now has a slew of new varieties of tea.
When purple tea got developed, the Kenyan government encouraged the development of even more varieties. The government saw the move could cushion farmers from the oversupply of black tea and low prices. At the time, purple tea cost twice the price of regular black tea.
Since 2011 purple tea has gained much popularity all across the world. The tea still costs a bit more than the regular tea, but numerous people still flock to farms in Kenya to taste it. Karanja Kinyanjui owns one such farm receiving numerous visitors. Mr. Karanja’s farm is located in Central Kenya, where he has grown purple tea on 20 acres of his farm alongside 100 acres of the regular variety.
Farm Tour in Central Kenya
At Karanja Kinyanjui’s farm, visitors can book a place to sleep if they want to prolong their farm visit. The guests get to take part in a tea tour at the farm, showing the different teas. One visitor Bella Gwada visited Karanja’s farm this week for the tour. Bella traveled 42 kilometers from Nairobi just for the experience. Bella is just but one of a rapidly growing base of consumers in Kenya. Numerous people have been flocking to farms for specialty teas, including purple teas. Some of these individuals say they travel so far to get the tea as it has immense health benefits.
When visitors take the tea tour, they usually have to get up early in the morning to go to the farm. At the farm, individuals pick purple-tipped tea leaves before moving to process. After processing, the tea picked gets brewed, and visitors get to taste what they harvested.
The tea does not require additional sugar after it is prepared. Unlike black tea, purple tea does not get fermented in processing. It is easily digestible and milder than black tea. The tea contains anthocyanin and other substances. These ingredients make experts believe the tea has health benefits, such as helping with weight loss. One such expert on tea Samson Kamunya director of state-owned Kenya, Tea Research Foundation, praises and recommend the tea. He urges people to enjoy the crop as it has powerful anti-inflammatory effects.
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